The Farsighted Ones
by Joyed Roman
Summary: The Farsight Enclaves led by General Farsight have broken free of the Ethereals and have survived both the Orks and Tyranids. But with the development of a warp storm which rapidly consumed the their planets and left them in another galaxy altogether. One without the endless bloodshed.They thought that they were now truly free to build their future. But life is never that easy.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all. I've been reading fan fiction for a while and have finally decided to write my first. I've had this idea for some time and finally got to writing it. **

**Just so you know English isn't my native language so any errors or advice would be appreciated. If there is anything wrong with the lore please point it out.**

**For those unaware here is a short history lesson. The Farsight Enclave is a Tau faction that split away from the Tau Empire under the leadership of Shas'O Vior'la Shovah Kais Mont'yr (better known as General Farsight) who became aware that the Ethereals is probably mind controlling the Tau. So since he knew revealing this might cause the Tau to go into civil war (their greatest nightmare the Mont'au). Since doing this will ruin everything the Tau had worked for thousands of years more or less exiles himself from the Empire ending up on the Damocles Gulf. By the way he brought along the majority of his followers, there is a lot of them, and set up the the Farsight Enclave to pursue the Greater Good on their own without Ethereal control. Be warned; Tau names are ridiculously long so I'll try shortening it whenever I can.**

**And just in case…**

**Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware and WH40K belongs to Game Workshop**

**I put the rating on M just in case. If this is incorrect please tell me.**

**998.M41 – Eastern Fringe of Damocles Gulf, Farsight Enclave, Vior'los**

A sprawling city awaited the coming storm. Crimson architecture dominated the sprawling mass and Tau as small as ants could be seen scurrying for shelter as the distorted sky rushed to devour what was left of the normal orange, brown sky. As the miscoloured veil advanced, a lone elderly Tau, wearing elaborate red armour stood firm on a ship platform, stood against the gushing wind being brought forth by the storm. Behind him an Orca waited apprehensively as the evil looking storm edged closer and closer.

Shas'O Vior'la Shovah Kais Mont'yr looked out from the platform, anxiously eyeing the coming storm. Clouds of red and purple shades mixed together in a million shades as they covered the skies of Vior'los as far as the keen eyesight of the Tau could see. Below him Tau of all castes hurried to emergency structures seeking shelter from the sudden unnatural storm. Behind him, Fio'O Vesa, his long-time ally and friend in the Earth Caste shifted.

"'O Shovah, I urge you to hurry. It will not be long before this 'Warp storm', as the Gue'vesa call it, reaches us." Fio'o Vesa said as he moved up to stand by the general.

Turning around, 'O Shovah glanced at the sky once more. "You are correct, let us join the others" and with that the two retreated back into the Orca transport awaiting them.

A Warp storm; many of the Gue'vesa axillaries that resided in the Farsight Enclave regarded them as the work of the Chaos Gods and the daemons that reside in their damned dimension. It was thanks to them that the Enclave had at least some basic knowledge about the Immaterium and the dangers that lurked within. If what they say is true then the Enclave will be trapped in the storm for an unknown amount of time.

The eastern fringe of the Damocles Gulf was where the Farsight Enclave had made their home. Now, in a matter of hours, what had started as a minor disturbance in space near Lub'grahl, the rugged planet of memories, had soon rapidly expanded to surround the entire Farsight Enclave and several nearby systems adjacent to them.

Reports from the Enclaves fortress stations were providing sobering news. The sudden storm had spread to engulf the large portions of the Damocles Gulf, but more importantly the four systems that made up the Farsight Enclaves were now trapped within. Then the regular reports stopped coming and all was quiet and the Tau of Vior'las was alone in silence.

'O Shovah was hit with a wall of warm air as he entered his personal chamber. The room itself was filled with maps and his personal notes. Hanging alone on the wall was Dawn Blade. Its origin and design to this day still confuses the Earth Caste and most likely the reason he was alive today. 'O Shovah sat on the chair dejectedly. He could not afford to be weak, it was his decision to split from the rest of Tau Empire and lead his coalition to the fringes to after Arthas Moloch.

He had led them against the relentless Ork armies, which numbered many times his own, and had always achieved victory. He had saved his followers from the Tyranids, an enemy which can be related as an unstoppable force when victory seemed impossible.

However this time the foe was not an enemy which he could face conventionally. His brave Fire Caste could not engage the dark creatures controlling the storm until they were trapped. The Earth Caste, for all their wisdom, could not produce a counter against such a sudden occurrence as they had with the Tyranids. The Fleets of the Enclave, manned by the determined Air Caste could do nothing but withdraw from the dangerous storm. Already many ships were lost trying to navigate through the warp storm.

A knock on his door alerted him to an Air Caste messenger waiting patiently for a response. Shovah gestured for him to speak. "Shas'O the storm has now covered the system."

'O Shovah nodded as he dismissed the Kor'La and pulled up a screen from his terminal showing the warp storm completely replace the sky with waves of channelling foul energy. Looking closely he could distinctly make out forms lurking within them. It was similar to Arthas Moloch, where daemons had torn a rift in reality and had poured through in endless numbers.

The Fire Caste had already been mobilized and was stationed at evacuation centres where the majority of the civilian population had sought shelter at. Though many of those who were with him at Arthas Moloch had long perished, he was confident of his warriors ability to hold their own against these horrors despite their lack of experience against this foe.

'O Shovah prepared to leave and get into his personal battlesuit, it ended. He blinked, one moment the sky was shrouded with colours and now it had returned to normal. Deciding quickly he pulled up his radio and called for a general meeting in the war room to decipher what had happened.

* * *

**Time: Unknown – Farsight Enclave, Vior'los, High Command Centre**

Pandemonium ruled the room as the occupants, seated around the command table, argued over what had just occurred. Tension was high in the air as the stress and worry of being trapped for possible hundreds of years had taken its toll on occupants of the room.

One Shas'o was arguing that the daemons that they had prepared for were setting a trap by giving them a feeling of safety with the storm gone and that the clear sky was just an illusion. Opposite him a Fio'El, one of the few that were present at Arthas Moloch and among the living, countered that the creatures had shown no tactics at Arthas Moloch and he doubted that they would suddenly get smarter when they were content with dying in the droves to overwhelm them previously.

The few Gue'vesa auxiliaries were swarmed with questions on the nature and effects of the storm by Tau of all castes as they were assumed to have the most knowledge of these occurences.

"Silence!" 'O Shovah roared. Soon exactly that filled the room as the gathered leaders awaited their general to continue.

"Kor' O Doran, what news do you have from the rest of Enclave? Is the storm visible from space?" Shovah asked directing his question at the admiral of the Enclave fleet stationed on Vior'los.

"We have sent several drones up and have concluded with Gue'vesa's aid that the storm has vanished." There were mutterings of disbelief with this statement but Doran carried on regardless.

"Contact has also been re-established with the rest of the Enclave and Fortress Stations but several of our patrols in space have gone missing. They were likely caught in storm and in all likelihood they perished as the storm grew." He finished sourly.

'O Shovah bowed his head slightly in respect for the dead along with the rest of the room before bringing his attention back to Doran.

"Wait…so the other systems have also come out of the storm?" He asked as Doran fidgeted under the scrutiny of the legendary general.

"Yes sir. The other systems have been released from the storm. They have given similar reports of how unnatural weather clouds suddenly came and disappeared once the normal sky was no long visible" Doran replied.

The assembled leaders contemplated on this strange occurrence for a moment. "Do these 'warp storms 'usually end like this" asked Fio'O Vesa, directing his question towards a Gue'vesa Shas'El.

"To the best of my knowledge, no. Mind you that I have never been in a warp storm. Personally I thought that Chaos would be assaulting us nonstop once we were trapped. But now…." He gestured hopelessly. "I just…. Just have no idea what's going on anymore. Warp storms shouldn't just disappear like that."

The room once again descended into silence as 'O Shovah leaned over the table, his battle scared face full of thought as the others respectfully waited for their leader. He took a minute to think and gather his thoughts, plans already forming in his mind as he moved to speak them.

"Kor' O Doran, I want you immediately to dispatch scout drones to the systems directly adjacent to ours. Report back immediately if there has been any strange changes to the planets and the like."

Taking a breath 'O Shovah continued "'Fio' O Vesa, I need you to work with Doran and find the effects of this storm, if there are any at all. We don't know enough about these things and I want that changed."

Both gave their affirmatives to the order, saluted to him and quickly left the room to work on their objectives.

'O Shovah then turned to the human from earlier "Shas' El Mordeci, I want you to gather what information you can from your auxiliaries. There must be some among them who has more useful knowledge on this subject."

"Shas' O Arra'kon, you are to…."

* * *

**2180 CE – Perseus Veil, East of Haelstrom, Geth patrol fleet**

A Geth fleet, comprised of a single dreadnought with 12 cruisers and 22 frigates to support it, glided towards the distant relay. The Geth platforms were tasked with investigating the attacks on their patrols by large, green bipedal aliens who identified themselves as 'Orks' and their fleet as the "WAAAGH!". It was noted that these aliens greatly resembled the Orcs from human literature and several Geth now researched this strange link. That they attacked on by ramming their oversized 'ships' onto their raised concerns among the Geth.

As they transitioned through the relay what they saw surprised them, as much as machines could be surprised. Beholding them was a fleet of 64 oversized red ships bearing a white round insignia with what resembles a tower with a red sun at the top. Enormous Crescent shaped dreadnoughts made up a significant proportion of the fleet. Resting within the formation lay seven larger oversized dreadnoughts; each eclipsing the others in terms of size at nearly five km in length and without doubt carrying enough armaments to match their size. Surrounding the larger ships was a host of what appears to be escort ships; every one of them the size of a normal dreadnought.

Debris and asteroid fragments littered the space directly in front of them. On closer inspection, the lead Geth Prime could make out countless Orks floating in between the rubble. Many more were still being dragged into the vacuum of space from large holes scarred into the asteroids and the hulks of metal the Orks call 'ships' .

While the Geth were deliberating to reach a consensus on their next action they were interrupted by beeping from the panel indicating that they were being hailed by the alien fleet.

* * *

**2180 CE – Perseus Veil, East of Haelstrom, Farsight Enclave 4****th**** Fleet**

Only 6 days ago they were surrounded by a warp storm and now Farsight Enclave no longer appears to be in Damocles Gulf. Several planets and stars which was not present before had suddenly appeared; leading many of the Earth Castes scientists to believe we had been transported to a completely new time or dimension. Several unidentified moon sized constructs located near Lub'grahl suggested this was the territory of an undiscovered alien race.

Unfortunately it appears that some warbands of Orks came with them. This is why Kor'O Kir'qath was now leading the Enclave's 4th fleet aboard her flagship: Tinek'la Or'es El'leath Shi'ur Kir'qath exterminating the Ork 'fleet' of rocks for the Greater Good before they could threaten the colonies.

Therefore after her fleet had easily destroyed the Ork armada threatening Lub'grahl; the sudden appearance of a new fleet appearing in a blue flash from the strange construct did not surprise her too much. All active fleets had been assigned a Por'El on the off chance they encounter the creators of the constructs. That provision had now paid off as Por'El Aloh, having been informed was now making his way to the bridge of the ship.

Kor'O Kir'qath observed the insectoid fleet. The alien ships were significantly smaller than Tau vessels. The largest of them only barely matching a frigate in size. Some of the others would be classified as escorts but the majority were so small they may as well be attack craft rather.

"What do the scans say on the the alien fleet?" She asked, directing her question to the Kor'La managing the flagships sensors.

"The largest of the alien fleet is 1.1 kilometers in length and possesses a main cannon of comparable size .The other vessels are all between 400 to 800 meters in length with varying degrees of armnaments. And…" The Kor'La trailed off.

"And…?" 'O Kir'quth inquired.

"There appears to be no detected life forms on board any of the vessels." The Kor' La finished.

"No life forms?" 'O Kir'quth asked, eyes widening in surprise.

"No life forms." The Kor'La repeated.

It was at that moment Por' El Aloh arrived at the bridge. The soft thud of the closing doors and light footsteps he made being the only things marking his arrival.

"I bid you greetings Kor'O Kir'quth. What knowledge of these newcomers can you share with me?" inquired El' Aloh as he stood slightler behind her in respect to her higher rank.

"Greetings to you Por'El Aloh. It appears their vessels are significantly smaller than our own that gives no indication to their on how powerful they may be furthermorethe size of the fleet suggests that it a patrol but it could also be some form of research fleet for all we know." 'O Kir'quth summarised for the diplomat.

Taking a breath, 'O Kir'quth continued "It is also likely we are dealing with an AI manned fleet."

'El Aloh pondered on this for a moment. "We shall hail them regardless, at the very least they will link us to their creators for further diplomatic talks. With your permission I will initiate contact Kor'O?"

'O Kir'quth cautiously nodded her assent. With that he quickly set about the process of initiating contact with the aliens.

* * *

The Geth platform pulled up a holographic screen to reveal a midnight blue robed grey skinned alien facing him. Behind him stood a tall and slender alien dressed in red; elaborate markings located near his collar, most likely an indication of his rank.

As the robed alien spoke the platform realised they could not understand the dialect spoken. Now certain that this was a completely new race not encountered by Citadel and therefore not likely to be affected by the AI bias; the Geth reached a consensus.

Interaction with non-hostile organic race was preferable. Observation alone was not sufficient to provide reliable experience for interaction with creators when they return. Diplomatic negotiations are therefore desirable.

The robed alien discovering the issue of language had switched to more basic techniques. Pointing to himself he loudly said "Tau" and repeated this gesture a few times. The platform understanding the move mimicked him placing its hand on its breastplate, making it the first interaction with an organic since the creators left, "Geth".

* * *

After hours of torturous waiting as the 'Geth' and Por'El Aloh made horrible attempts on communication; the language barrier was finally broken thanks to the work of the Earth Caste technicians onboard. After much work they had managed to extract all the data they needed from one of the files from Geth had sent including Khelish, the language the Geth used. This 'Codex' had provided a general overview of the known universe, surprising all that there was a largely unified galactic government in place. The lack of the devastating wars that filled their own universe was strangely absent for good or for worse.

That the Geth had driven their creators away from their homeworlds were a source of concern. Though the Codex had also stated that the Geth were natural enemies with organics and warned that they would attack organics on sight, put the reliability of the Codex as a trustworthy source of information into question.

Nevertheless, now that they could communicate the Geth had agreed to send an emissary to engage in diplomatic talks. Already a small Geth shuttle was making its way to the open hanger of the Tinek'la Or'es El'leath Shi'ur Kir'qath.

Kor'O Kir'quth was waiting patiently alongside Por'El Aloh inside the hanger. A squad of anxious Fireblades stood at attention behind them. Their tightening grips on their Pulse Carbines indicating their worry that this meeting will result in a fire fight.

_Though considering almost all alien contacts in the last century resulted in conflict they have the right to be anxious. _Kor'O Kir'quth thought as the Geth shuttle landed in the hanger.

The shuttle door slowly opened as 'Kir'quth and 'El Aloh stepped forward to greet their guest. A hulking white form stepped out of the shuttle, its glowing silver 'eye' wandering around the room before settling on the two Tau standing before him.

'O Kir'quth paused, having to look up to meet the Geth's gaze temporarily stunned by the size of this 'peaceful emissary'. The Shas'Ui's assigned as honour guard were now high on alert. The 4 meter synthetic appeared to be more of a war machine than a diplomat and while it appeared unarmed there was no telling what the machine was capable of.

Undaunted by the intimidating figure before him 'El Aloh quickly greeted the Geth "Welcome aboard the vessel. I bid you greetings in the name of the Farsight Enclaves."

Seeing that the Geth was not responding he calmly continued "I am Por'El Shovah Aloh Kais and beside me is Kor'O Shovah Kir'quth Mont'yr."

Silence descended on the hanger as the Tau waited for the Geth to respond. "We are Geth"

"Do you mean you represent the Geth people?" inquired El'Aloh.

The Geth provided the responded quickly in its voice devoid of emotion "Yes"

"So who are you?" 'El Aloh asked.

Responding just as quickly as before the Geth stated "Geth"

"So all Geth share the same name?" 'El Aloh inquired.

"No. We are all Geth" once again giving an ambiguous reply.

"Well then… Geth, on behalf of the Farsight Enclave I wish to extend a hand of friendship to your kind and hope that our relationship will benefit the Greater Good of all" stated 'El Aloh.

"Acknowledged, we seek no conflict with the Farsight Enclave" Geth told 'El Aloh.

_Well that's a start at least._ Thought 'O Kir'quth, already putting the Geth ahead of the Orks, Necrons and Tyranids in terms of how reasonable they can be.

"Would you prefer to continue talks here or shall we relocate elsewhere more suitable." Asked 'El Aloh directing his question at Geth

"Relocation is preferable, current location ill-suited for these talks." Geth responded.

Once they had moved into a meeting room set up prior to the Geth's landing on the ship. Geth and 'El Aloh began to discuss more matters, 'O Kir'quth remained silent. Diplomatic affairs were not the business of the Fire Caste and were best left in the Water Castes capable hands. As their conversation continued, 'O Kir'quth slowly receded into her own minds paying less and less attention to the conversations. _Perhaps this teleporting to a different universe isn't so bad if there are more willing to talk rather than shoot first. Maybe we can finally finish off the Orks, now that the majority of them were stuck in a galaxy far far away. Maybe I can finally…_

"Kor'O Kir'quth" 'El Aloh's voice interupting her internal thoughts. Looking up she saw that 'El Aloh had somehow brought up a holographic image of the Damocles Gulf while Geth was staring intensely the images.

"Yes Por'El Aloh?" responded 'O Kir'quth

"We are in need of your knowledge of the Orks, they have already attack the Geth and they are concerned about them" 'El Aloh stated.

Nodding, she began to give the Geth what information she had on the Orks even showing him footage of engagements with the Orks. This was usually comprised of her asking the Orks to surrender for the Greater Good only for them to respond with insults and threats of violence.

When the Geth then proposed joint operations to combat the Orks, both she and 'El Aloh were surprised.

"That is… surprising. For you to trust us just like that is astonishing. Tell me how can you even suggest allying yourself to a race you have known only for less than a day?" a bewildered 'El Aloh asked.

Geth stared at 'El Aloh while making his response. "Ork has attacked us unprovoked. Farsight Enlave opposes the "WAAAGH!" We too now oppose the "WAAAGH". Interactions so far suggest the Farsight Enclave is reasonable entity. Co-operation will benefit both Farsight Enclave and Geth."

'El Aloh nodded to this before he paused for a moment in deep thought. Finally deciding on what to do next he stood from his seat.

"Geth, such arrangements are beyond my authority I will have to pass this forward to the High Council. Would it be possible to arrange another meeting in the future?" he asked.

Geth, like 'El Aloh was also silent for some time before it finally responded in the same monotone voice. "This platform requests to remain to negotiate with your leaders."

"What about your fleet? I mean no offense but do you intend to bring your fleet to our worlds." This time it was 'O Kir'quth who asked suspicously, worried that the Geth may decide to attack when they reached Vior'los despite their peaceful behaviour so far.

Geth tilted its head as if in thought as it looked at her. "We have reached a consensus. This platform will go with you alone. The fleet will remain here to guard relay leading to geth space"

'O Kir'quth glanced at 'El Aloh who was thinking over the Geth's offer. "We accept this agreement for the Greater Good and thank you for the trust you have placed in us. Rest assured that you will come to no harm and will ensure that you return to your fleet regardless of the outcome."

"Acknowledged" was the only response the Geth gave.

**As some may be confused by the terminology used I will try to give a brief summary:**

**All Tau from birth are split into 5 castes; these castes have six ranks each and are reflective of ones skill. The Farsight Enclave maintains this with the exception of the Ethereal Caste for obvious reasons. The Fire Caste makes up the army of the Tau, the Air Caste makes up the navy and maintains lines of communication. The Earth Caste are the builders and scientists and the Water Caste are the artisans, diplomats, media,etc.**

**The ranking goes like this:**

**Rank – Fire Caste (Shas) – Air Caste (Kor) – Earth Caste (Fio) – Water Caste (Por)**

'Saal – Cadet – Deliverer – Apprentice – Assistant

'La – Warrior – Messenger – Worker – Bureaucrat

'Ui – Veteran – Carrier – Senior – Envoy

'Vre – Hero – Pilot – Overseer – Magister

'El – Knight – Captain – Engineer – Diplomat

'O – Commander – Admiral – Planner - Ambassador

**For more info go to the Lexicanum or the Wikia.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm currently stuck on an issue of what Tau plasma weapons do to Kinetic Barriers. On one hand plasma does have mass and would trigger them, but they don't stop the heat of the blast from being transferred and the size of the slug holding the plasma is quite big too. So if someone can clarify this for me please do.**

**Again, just in case**

**(Edited: Fixed the dates, thanks for that)**

Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware and WH40K belongs to Game Workshop

* * *

**2180 CE – Perseus Veil, Vior'los**

The Geth Platform watched in interest as he waited while the Orca transport took him to the Farsight Enclave's leadership. The red city below them was simple in design and yet looked magnificent. Hundreds of thousands of smaller vehicles glided between the buildings as Tau went about their normal business. Within a large compound in the city he could see meters high 'battlesuits' being created by the Earth Caste.

Finally descending on to a large tower it disembarked, two Fireblades a step behind him. A reception of Tau awaited him, waiting near the door to the tower, watching the Platform with interest. What had surprised him was to find two humans soldiers among them

Did this mean the Human System Alliance had already made contact? No, the humans were wearing the same equipment as their Tau counterparts, not the standard suits that System Alliance issues.

Deciding this was worth investigating the Platform noted it down for further investigation.

Shas'O Shovah watched the machine stare at the two Gue'vesa among their group. For what reason could it have to do this? Does it recognize humans? Does that mean the Imperium was present here? So many answers he wanted to know. But he knew while he was the de facto leader of the Farsight Enclave, he was no politician. Most of that responsibility fell to Por'O Ko'vash who stepped forward to greet the Geth.

"Greetings to you Geth, I welcome you to Vior'los and hope these negotiations benefit the Greater Good of all." 'O Ko'vash said a practiced smile on his face

"Acknowlegded" was the only response he got.

Already forewarned that Geth did not like speaking, he carried on unhindered. "Come, let us retire to a more comfortable and quiet location.

In a large room, the negotiations went underway. On one side were Shas'O Kais, Fio'O Vesa, Por'O Ko'vash and Kor'O Kunas, each representing their respective Caste. On the other, the Geth Prime waited patiently for his hosts to introduce themselves.

'O Ko'vash started "'El Aloh, the Tau you met with our fleet, tells us that you wish a military alliance with us. Is this correct?"

"Yes" Geth replied.

'O Ko'vash then dropped the big question. "And why whould you need our aid? According to the Codex you have provided us, your kind is said to have one of the largest militaries in this galaxy. With only a few planets of Orks left, our aid is hardly need."

The Geth tilted its head, the sound of its flaps making loud noises in the otherwise quiet room, before it responded. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Ork is the enemy of Geth and Farsight Enclaves. Combined efforts will allow for swift end of Ork aggression. In this both Geth and the Farsight Enclaves will benefit."

Before 'O Ko'vash could speak, 'O Shavoh spoke. "The Ork will be unlike any other foe you have encountered. Those barbarians fight only for the sake of fighting and their numbers will seem infinite at times. Your kinetic barriers will of little use against Ork battleaxes. Your frame itself will be torn to pieces by their guns. Many of your people will die, as hundreds of thousands of mine already has, combating the Orks."

Taking a deep breath, 'O Shovah stared intently into the Geth's glowing eye. "Knowing this are you still willing to fight them with us?"

The Geth stood there, the programs within it working to reach a consensus with the collective that made up the Geth. Moments passed before it finally gave its answer.

* * *

**2182 CE, 1734 hrs – Perseus Veil, Cio 'qu**

Their mission had been simple. The Cadre was to flush out and eliminate a small Ork war band that had been raiding the cities on the new colony. They had underestimated the Orks no one had expected them to hold back the majority of the forces to draw in their forces. That they had a planned to use their small raiding force as bait and allowing the Orks to ambush them had been even more surprising.

The small detachment of their Geth attached to the Cadre had opted to stay behind to buy some time for them to escape. They bought them precious minutes to escape the Ork's kill zone. Unfortunately their sacrifice was for naught as Ork Tankbusters had managed to strike down the lead Devilfish leaving a burning wreak. In his rush to escape the driver of the second Devilfish in the column was unable to avoid the ruins of the first and collided head on. The resulting explosion had been enough to both kill the occupants and halt the retreat. The Orks wasted no time, pouncing on the shaken Fire Warriors and Pathfinders.

A small group of survivors ran from the site of carnage. Flaming wreaks and corpses littered the forest. The unlucky few trapped and still alive in the in a ring of green flesh were quickly being dispatched by the blood crazed Orks that had descended on them with a fury. A Nob spotting the Tau escaping quickly ordered his some of his boyz to give pursuit. Twenty of the Orks split off from the rest as they gave chase while the remainder continued the brutal slaughter.

Shas' Ui Shi'ur ran. By no means a coward he understood the need to escape and seeing that their Cadre had no chance had rallied those still left and led their retreat. Two Fire Warriors and three Pathfinders including himself were all that made it. Making it to a clearing with a dense copse in the centre a plan formulated in his head.

* * *

"Wait ta minute, dis 'ere looks like a trap! Dem grey-skins think we Orks really dis stupid?" The angry Nob in charge shouted as he pulled to a stop on the edge of the clearing.

Indeed there was a clearing ahead of them, the hoofmarks they had been following leading to a copse of tree in the center with plenty of space and no cover to be seen. Plenty of space for the Tau boyz shiny dakka to hit them and kill more boyz.

As the rest of the boyz who were lagging behind arrived at the edge of the clearing the Nob roared " All right boyz, dem Grey-skins think dey sooo smart by getting us ta run across dat field into dere glowy dakka. But Iz gotsa plan ya see. We iz gonna sneak up behind them and kill em Tau boyz good and den we'll see whos da dum ones!"

The gathered Orks cheered at that; roaring their signature "WAAAGH!" Amidst all the noise they were completely oblivious to the soft thuds of several Photon grenades landing within the group. A large bright light emitted from the grenades blinding the Orks and ruining their night vision.

"Cut them down!" 'Ui Shi'ur ordered as he and his Pathfinders dropped down from branches of the trees they had hidden themselves on. The Fire Warriors waiting within the copse opened fire on the Orks, their precise aim picking apart the dazed Orks.

The Orks while surprised upon realizing they were in a fight blindly charged the Pathfinders with reckless abandon, often tripping and stumbling over each other as they followed the sounds of battle. 'Ui Shi'ur discharged his Carbine at the approaching Orks, felling several of them before they were upon them.

A large brute rushed at him, axe raised above his head, bringing it down with in a overhead swing. Sidestepping to the left he avoided the crude weapon and fired two quick successive shots into the Orks head causing it to explode in a bath of blood and brain matter.

Jumping over the Orks corpse guns blazing, a Slugga Boy with a gun in his left hand and a rusted sword in his right charged him. One lucky shot hit 'Ui Shi'ur Carbine, the large bullet punching a hole in the weapon and knocking it out of his hand.

Drawing his Pulse Pistol and his blade he surprised the Ork by counter charging the barbarian, roaring as managed to cut off his opponent's gun hand before the Ork could respond. The Ork screamed in a mixture of anger and pain he swung his blade at the smaller Tau. Weaving under the swing he plunged his own blade into the Orks chin, driving it through his skull. Grunting in annoyance to find his sword now stuck in the Ork's cranium.

A battle cry behind him alerted him to a another Ork, turning around he saw a blinking Ork, meters away from him, raising his large machine gun and taking aim. Abandoning his blade in the corpse he threw himself onto the ground as the Ork fired. Screams of pain echoed the forest as bullets flew across the melee hitting more friends than foe.

The gunner laughed in maniacal glee before his head was suddenly cleaved off his body. A large armoured hand grabbed hold of the severed head before crushing it.

The gigantic Nob yelling at headless corpse below him."Ya stupid git, you be killin 'ore of me boyz than grey-skin."

Looking closely; 'Ui Shi'ur could make out blue blood dripping off the Ork's axe, Tau blood. Picking himself up he readied himself for his final fight. Glancing behind him he saw the two Pathfinders who followed him lying dead on the floor, their bodies chopped apart by the Orks, likely for trophies. The plasma from the Fire Warriors also seemed to have stopped giving him a sinking feeling knowing that they too were likely dead.

Analyzing the situation like the trained warrior he was; he counted only 6 Orks left including the Nob making his way towards him. _So this is the end. _He thought to himself only now noticing the exhaustion his body felt and the throbbing pain in his leg. Looking down he saw a hole where a stray shot most likely gone through his leg, blue blood flowing freely out of his wound. He hobbled towards the Ork he had killed earlier, his sword still stuck within his head.

The Orks formed a circle around him as he yanked his blade out drawing fresh blood which poured out of the Ork's throat. Seeing no escape he put his exhausted body into a combat stance.

The Nob moved to the front of the Orks. "Finally a grey-skin dat kan fight proper, dis ones mine boyz don't ya intafere otherwise imma stomp on ya, ya got dat!"

Seeing his boyz shift back, the Ork gave a malicious smile as he readied his axe. "Now den, let's do dis gre-"

Any further words were cut off as the Nob suddenly fell forward, dead before he hit the ground.

Both Tau and Ork were shocked and stood there. No one moved an inch as they took in the sudden death of the Nob. Then a second Ork suddenly jerked his head back, a small hole appearing dead center on his forehead. A third fell before they finally reacted.

"Dey got da boss!"

"Where's dat dakka commin from?"

"Dere! its one of em Geth Me-"the pointing Ork shouted before it died with slug burrowed in his head.

Seeing his opportunity, 'Ui Shi'ur adjusted his aim at the Ork now aiming his gun at the location his companion had pointed at.

A bolt of plasma hit the Ork's back, the impact knocking him into a tree as the plasma burned through his flesh and bone.

The last Ork with the loss of his leader and the rest of his warband, tried to run. He managed two steps before he fell forward, blood leaking from the miniscule hole in his head.

Seeing the last of the Orks fall, 'Ui Shi'ur finally lowered his pistol. Looking at where the sniper was, he could make out a single Geth platform quickly making its way to him. Taking one step towards the Geth, he wobbled slightly before his leg finally gave out, causing him to fall to the ground his consciousness fading to black.

* * *

The sound of birds awoke him. Shas'Ui Shi'ur found himself lying on the forest floor. The Orks nowhere to be seen and his wounds patched up with 'medi-gel'. Getting up he saw the Geth that saved him standing near a tree. Its bright glowing eye staring back at him, a sniper rifle ready in its hands.

Pulling himself up, he warily turned to face the Geth. While the Treaty of Lissera made them allies and with the the majority of Geth now containing at least 600 programs, with the recent limited technology exchange, allowing more of them to speak, he still regarded them as aliens. Pushing down his paranoia he noticed his weapons all retrieved and arrayed neatly by his side with the exception of his Carbine, no doubt by the Geth.

"Shas'Ui is now operational?"

Sitting up he answered the Geth inquiring about his health. "I'm alive, which is enough for me. My thanks for your assistance."

"Acknowledged" answered the Geth in their kind's usual emotionless fashion.

Rearming himself he unsteadily made his way to stand by the Geth. Looking down, he noted that they were on a higher elevation by a mountain providing him a view of the forest below. To the distance smoke could be seen where they Ork base most likely was. The Geth paid no attention to this its eyes scanning the dense forest underneath it for any threat. The shining sun above him meant that he had been asleep for atleast a few hours.

Looking at the Geth, he realized he forgot to ask for the name of his rescuer. "My apologies, I have forgotten to introduce myself, I am Shas'Ui Shovah Shi'ur Kais Mont'yr. May I know your name?" the drilled in politeness reserved for allies dictating his words.

The Geth looked at the tired Tau beside him. "Geth"

Trying again he asked "What is **your** name?" making the question more specific.

The Geth looked at him for a moment before anwsering"My name is Legion: for we are many"

The answer surprised him though it sounded like a quote, that a Geth had actually given itself a name was unheard of.

Incredulous, 'Ui Shi'ur asked "Legion? Why?"

"Named by Gue'vesa who was reading Human Bible. Christian Bible, Gospel of Mark, Chapter 5, Verse 9. As we have 4328 programs currently active, we accepted this as a suitable designation"

_Ah yes the 'other' humans. _The appearance of a second, completely new humanity had surprised many, but none more so than the humans within the Enclave. Many of them had spent days pouring over the wealth of information that the Codex provided them on the Human System Alliance, only to find they were nothing even close to the Imperium of Man. They were significantly weaker, their size not even holding a candle to the humanity they remembered.

"Well then… Legion I thank you again for saving my life"

"Acknowledged" responded Legion.

The pair stood there for a few more moments before 'Ui Shi'ur spoke again, this time with some urgency in his voice. "What about the Orks? Is Shas'O Sha'vastos aware of the situation?"

"Reinforcement estimated time of arrival 4 minute and 38 seconds." Legion answered. Lifting his left arm he pointed towards the sky.

As if it was a cue, Geth drop ships alongside Manta transports descended on the forest. Tiger Shark bombers acting as Vanguard dropping their load onto the forest below them, destroying the most of the flora within the landing zone and ensuring no Ork was in it.

Off in the distance, the brutish Ork Fighta-Bomba's could be seen taking off, their crude aircraft flying towards the landing zone, and intent on obliterating the combined Geth-Enclave force.

They were intercepted by dozens of Barracudas equally intent on the Ork's rudimentary air forces destruction. A savage dogfight broke out between the two sides. The Air Caste pilots having the advantage of speed and maneuverability easily scored several hits the Ork planes. The Orks on the other hand were proving a resilient foe, their breaking Fighta-Bombers defying the laws of aerodynamics by continuing to fly even with the loss of a propeller or wing.

The landing went unmolested and already the troops were disembarking. Geth Primes could be seen directing their troopers into formation while Earth Caste drones were already in the process of setting up a forward base. XV8 Crisis Battlesuits moved securing a perimeter around the landing zone.

_The Orks must be more of a threat than I thought to warrant this kind of response. _Thought 'Ui Rra as already; thousands of Geth and Tau, with the occasional Gue'vesa mixed in, were already on the ground and advancing into the forest with more still coming if the number of Manta's were any judge.

An Orca flew overhead and landed where he had lain not long ago. Stepping out of the transport was Shas'O Shovah making his way to 'Ui Shi'ur in his personal battlesuit. Shas'O Sha'vastos and Shas'O Arra'kon walking beside him similarly armored in their battlesuits.

"Shas'Ui, your Cadre was the one deployed here earlier. Was it not?" the mechanical voice emitting from the speakers on his battlesuit distorted his voice somewhat, but without doubt this was the voice of the legendary General Farsight.

Bowing his head slightly towards the founder of the Farsight Enclaves, Shas'Ui Shi'ur answered. "Yes, Shas'O, my Cadre advanced into the forest to eliminate a small Ork warband threatening the colony. The Orks were lying in wait and ambushed us causing heavy casualties. Though there may be other survivors; I believe that I am the last of my Cadre.

Finishing his report, the battlesuit placed it mechanical arm across its chest in a salute for the fallen.

"Their deaths will be avenged Shas'Ui. No Ork will be left alive by the time I'm done with this planet. That I will see to personally" said 'O Shovah, the hate could be heard even in his mechanical voice.

Lifting the famed Dawnblade above his head he leaped off the ledge into the mass of Tau and Geth below. 'O Arra'kon following only a moment later.

'O Sha'vastos remained behind with the Geth and him as the only ones still on the ledge.

'O Sha'vastos came up to him. "Shas'Ui Shi'ur, your survival was impressive given the circumstances."

Nodding, 'Ui Shi'ur waited for his commander to continue. "You are a veteran of 32 conflicts. You also have 762 confirmed kills, one of the highest among the Pathfinders. You managed to sneak into an Ork encampment once and snipe the Warboss with a railgun and still managed to escape. These accomplishments as one of the best the Farsight Enclave has."

"Yes, Shas'O" accepting the praise without missing a step. He had gotten used to it already. Though the current conversation seemed to be leading to a re-assignment.

"And that is why you will be joining the Rra Kauyon, a Battlesuit will be available to you and you are to begin training with it as soon as you are able." finished 'O Sha'vastos.

His breath hitched. Rra Kauyon was the newly formed special forces of the Farsight Enclave. They were composed of only the best and reserved to contend with things that could not be faced conventionally. The closest equivalent was that Spectre that the Citadel Council employed. Though they had met only one and that single one had managed to somehow persuade 3% of the Geth to follow him and his Old Machine with promises of power and technology, etc.

He had offered a similar deal with the Farsight Enclaves but none of them could be swayed from the Greater Good, content on building our own future not living off a borrowed one. That the Citadel still remained unaware of Enclave-Geth alliance suggested that the Spectre may not be loyal to his supposed leader.

"Yes Shas'O, It is an honour." Replied 'Ui Shi'ur, regaining his composure.

"Good, the Orca will transport you to the spaceport where you will return to Vior'los. Further instructions will be provided on your arrival." 'O Sha'vastos looked at Legion.

"The Geth Unit will be accompanying you. The Geth had volunteered their latest Platform to serve with the Rra Kauyon" And with that 'O Sha'vastos activated his jump pack and descended into the valley.

'Ui Shi'ur glanced at Legion. It had remained silent throughout the exchange and now proceeded to board to Orca. Sighing he too boarded it as the first sounds of conflict could be heard in the form of large explosions.

* * *

**Fire Warriors - The rank and file troops of the Tau. Equiped with Pulse Rifles and standard issues armor they make up the most deadly ranged troops in the galaxy. They are comprised of a squad of 6 Shas'la and one or two Shas'Ui leading them.**

**Pathfinders – The scouts of the Tau. They are equipped with the faster firing Pulse Carbines and wear less armor than Fire Warroirs brethren. They often serve as spotters by marking their foes with markerlights allowing Tau artillery to home in on the target. Pathfinders are deployed in squads of three and can replace their Carbines with a hand held Rail Rifles which can serve as a sniper rifle.**

**Cio'qu – Within the last two years the Enclave has begun colonizing again. The diminished Ork threat has freed up resources that would have been otherwise been spent repelling Ork incursions. Cio'qu is one of their newer colonies near the rim of the Perseus Veil.**

**Battlesuits – Essentially the Mechas of the Tau army. The majority of them serve as mobile heavy artillery in the form of Broadsides and also as heavy, heavy infantry as Crisis Battlesuts. Though there is also the Stealth Suits designed with a build in cloak and intended for operating behind enemy lines. Those of Shas'Ui rank are offered the chance to pilot them and those who choose to remain as foot troops are called Fireblades.**

**Manta Missile Destoyer – These are the heavy transport of the Tau capacble of transporting several Cadres into battle. They can serve as bombers intended to attack enemy starships in space and also as dropships and heavy fire support on ground.**

**Barrucuda Class Fighter - The main fighter craft for the Tau intended for dogfights with enemy fighters.**

**Tiger Shark Bombers – Larger than a Barracuda, they function as a fighter-bomber. They are also equipped with drones allowing it to deploy gun drones into battle.**

**Treaty of Lassera – A military alliance between the Farsight Enclave and the Geth. The terms include coming to the aid of the other in case of unprovoked attack, free access between their sovereign territories and the limited exchange of technology. **

'**Dakka' – Ork term for gun, fire, noise, and probably a lot of other things.**

**Nob – They are usually larger Orks that lead the smaller ones with a mix of bullying and intimidations. After all "Bigger is better"**

**The rest of the Orks names for things are rather self-explanatory eg. Fighta-Bomba is a Fighter-Bomber.**

**Also Orks have a reality defying ability to ignore the laws of physics and other things by doing things that should not be possible. Like firing a gun with no firing mechanism. They are probably all psykers to some degree and their mob mentality means that if enough of them believe in it then it is true. **

"**Red is da fastest" and therefore vehicles painted red are faster somehow.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the information on plasma weaponry. I kind of feel sorry for their victims now. Being cooked to death inside your own armour isn't a nice thought. **

**I'm sorry if characters are a bit OOC. I haven't played Mass Effect in a long time and only started again recently. Therefore I can't remember the characters personalities too well with the exception of a few. As I also don't have ME3 I have no idea what to do with it but I'll overcome that hurdle when it comes.**

**I copied a lot of dialogue from Mass Effect and I apologize for this though I did change it a little. **

**Once again Disclamimer:** Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware and WH40K belongs to Game Workshop

**2182 – Perseus Veil, Cio'qu, Alliance – Waaagh! Frontlines**

Shas'O Shovah wiped the gory blood of the Orks he had slain off Dawnblade on the leaves of a tree. Standing victorious within a battlefield strewn with corpses, the alliance's forces had killed yet another wave of Orks sallying from the open tunnel.

The last three months had seen the Orks pushed back into their underground complex within the mountain. Most of the forest had been sterilised and Ork corpse burned to prevent them from growing again. Now the force of Ork resistance came from within their mines.

Bombing runs had proven ineffective against them only serving to further scar the landscape of the mountain. The Orks had mostly withdrawn inside their mines, no doubt waiting for them to charge into them where his Fire Warriors lacked their ranged advantage.

That the mountain they had settled in happened to be the largest on the plat was a stroke of unluckiness. Orbital bombardment may trigger a series of cataclysmic events nulling everything they had achieved on Cio'qu.

Despite Enclave Fire Caste members training in basic close combat and being equipped with a blade, they stood no chance against the naturally stronger Orks. The Geth were no better off, their kinetic barriers unable to block the melee attacks that the Orks preferred. That was one of the weaknesses he saw of Kinetic Barriers; they were designed to stop high speed miniature slugs. They were unable to stop any form of melee attack, with it being too slow to trigger it, and Ork slugs were so large they tended to lodge itself into the shield, further hindering it, instead of bouncing off as normal.

Now it had turned into a prolonged siege with the occasional Ork sallies which always ended in more dead Orks needing to be disposed of. This latest wave was different however. These Orks didn't run out looking for a fight, instead they appeared to be desperately running from something instead.

Scaring an Ork was extremely difficult as long as they were in a large number. The sally contained nearly 300 Orks in total. For this many to run in fear must mean something else was coming.

Hearing the sound of movement from the tunnel again 'O Shovah ordered the assemble Geth and Tau to prepare themselves. "The enemy comes again! Return to your positions and prepare to fire. I want Broadsides to open fire into the tunnel…"

Orks. That was what he was expecting to see. These… abominations were not Orks no matter how much they resembled them. The normally green skin was now a husky grey, their eyes now glowing blue with wire running where veins should be. Where there should be hands were no replaced with some form of mace. Others had what might have been a gun now somehow mounted upon their shoulders.

It was as if they were… turned into some robotic-organic hybrid. No, these were not Orks but they were still enemies and needed to be destroyed.

Breaking out of his stupor he looked around in his Battle Suit and saw his Fire Warriors similarly in shock. The Geth showed no reaction to their strange Orks but he had no doubt they too were not expecting this.

"NOW!" he roared. The Broadsides while in shock, opening fire onto the incoming horde, their training immediately putting them back into control as they got over the sight of the Orks getting their… upgrade. Missiles being unleashed from their pods mounted on the shoulder of the battle suits,

The 'Orks' charging out of the open tunnel had no room to maneuver and died as explosions rocked the tunnel. Hundreds must have died in that salvo but still they came on, screeching in anger as they burst out of the tunnel and into the waiting guns of Alliance. Wave after wave of plasma and slugs met the monstrosities.

Undaunted even when losing half their number with more falling every moment they continued their charge, closing the distance between them and the Geth and Enclave troops.

It was at that moment 'O Shavoh jumped into the fray, a number of Crisis Battlesuits followed him, jetpacking in front of the approaching horde and fired upon the enemy. Their flamers and Burst Cannons making short work of the creatures.

'O Shovah swung Dawnblade, several of the synthetic beings splitting in half oozing out purple blood instead of the usual red. He couldn't help noticing that even their organs appeared to have been replaced with robotic replacements.

Taking this moment of distraction, several of the 'Orks' jumped onto his battlesuit. Latching on, they began to start smashing at his suit, his shield lighting up as they rained blows on him.

Thinking fast he jumped up a few metres, dislodging them and throwing them up into the air. Using his jetpack to temporarily keep himself airborne, he swung Dawnblade a full 360 degrees spinning as he did so. The falling creatures stood no chance as they were cut into pieces as they fell back to the ground.

He let himself free fall back to ground, squashing some of the 'Orks' and knocking a fair amount out of balance. The momentum of the charge had by then lost most of its power as the remaining hostiles were picked apart by his warriors.

Seeing that the battle was more or less over he lowered Dawnblade and activated his comm. "This is Shas'O Shovah I want a report from all Cadres."

"Shas'El Dak'e reporting in, all the remaining hostiles have been eliminated. We suffered no casualties"

"This is Shas' Vre Doran'ro reporting in. All of those monstrosities have been eliminated. Nearly a third of my Cadre is dead, the rest are still combat ready or walking wounded."

"Shas' El Eoro reporting in. There are still some dismembered 'Orks' trying to crawl at us but otherwise no hostiles remains alive. Two of our battlesuits were overwhelmed in the melee, I have already directed Earth Caste drones to retrieve the pilots."

Assured that there were no more enemies, he ordered a general meeting to discuss this new enemy.

**Cio'qu Alliance Forward Base**

Shas'O Shovah walked in to the command room. A holographic tactical map displayed in the centre. Standing around the table were Shas'O Sha'vastos, Shas'O Arra'kon, Kor'O Doran, Fio'El Mesme and the Geth Prime he met two years ago, now calling itself Speaker.

Setting himself at the head of the table he pulled up the images of the synthetic Orks onto the holographic projector. Grim faced he asked the question that all wanted answered. "What are those things?"

They looked like Orks, moved like Orks, they even fought like Orks. But all it took was one glance to tell that they were anything but.

Unsurprisingly it was Speaker who moved to speak. "We theorize that the Old Machines are related to this. The new 'Orks' are synthetic in origin and emit similar signals to that of the Old Machines."

"Saren" 'O Doran all but spat the name out. The Turian had not so long ago arrived in an Old Machine and declared himself the prophet of the Old Machines. 'O Doran was the one who confronted the Spectre and got him to leave, but not before converting a large number of Geth with him.

The two had conversed only briefly and yet already hated each other with a vengeance. No one but they and those on board at the time will know what was said between them and the Air Caste operators who were present were unwilling to talk about it.

"Do you think he may set this up?" asked 'O Sha'vastos.

"Arterius Saren is the only known associate of the Old Machines. Possibility of this change in Orks being his doing is 98.7%." replied Speaker.

Speaking for the first time 'El Mesme asked "What will the consequences of this be. By giving the Orks new technology, he has acted aggressively against the Alliance. We can't let him get away with this."

"This technology didn't help the Orks that much and it might have done more good than bad anyway" 'O Arra'kon said.

'El Mesme glared at O'Arra'kon. "How could it have "done more good than bad"? The savages now have more means to kill us. We both know how quickly they can adapt new technology into their own. With Saren's aid the Orks may be able to break the siege and overrun the planet. So I don't see how this could possibly be a good thing"

Staring back at 'El Mesme, 'O Arra'kon elaborated "You were not there with us so you would not have seen. Anyone who has fought the Orks could see that the first wave today was not an attack driven by bloodlust like usual. Instead they appeared to have run out to try and escape, most likely from their synthetic cousins."

'O Sha'vastos seeing where was going picked up. "So the lack of sallies in the past week wasn't in preparation for a massive attack most likely due to infighting between them and the 'others"

"Yes! and that the first wave was a band of desperate normal Orks, it means that the other side won and drove them out. Also without a force to oppose them inside the fortress…" 'O Arra'kon trailed off.

"It means they will be surging forth to attack us now and those we killed were only the vanguard" Finished 'O Shovah.

Pulling up the holomap again, he stared at the mountain.

"How many Orks are there estimated to be?" asked 'O Shovah.

'El Mesme took out a device out of his robe and looked at it for a moment before answering. "There is an estimated 320,000 Orks remaining within the mountain."

Grimly 'O Shovah turned to 'O Doran. "Kor'O Doran, would your fleet be capable of delivering a tactical bombardment on the mountain strong enough to bring it down without triggering a seismic reaction."

Caught off guard, she answered "No, all simulations show that the amount of fire power needed to collapse the caves within the mountain will trigger a seismic reaction with varying strength from destructive to cataclysmic"

As she finished, she realised the intent behind the question. "Shas'O you can't mean to…"

Turning his gaze back towards the holomap. "The last time I pitted my forces against the unknown foe with unknown capabilities, I lost all the Ethereals travelling with me along with two thirds of the deployed ground forces."

His voice sounded tired and regretful as he looked at his officers. "Nearly 200,000 Tau died that day."

"I am not afraid of confronting the foe, but I am also unwilling to send them to fight a foe that we know so much and so little about."

Realizing he was droning on, he collected himself. "'Fio'El Mesme I want you to collect the remains of the 'Orks' we killed. This has top priority."

"Shas'O Arra'kon begin the evacuations of all ground personnel. The colonist takes priority,"

"Kor'O Doran, return to your fleet, they will be needed to provide fire support. I am now allowing Pathfinders to call in orbital strikes with their markerlights so have your fleet ready."

"'O Sha'vastos, you will follow me. The two of us will be leading the rearguard. I want you to take the fifteen Hunter Cadres closest to the entrance and hold them long enough for the evacuations to be complete. I will join you shortly in the field"

Looking around the table he shouted "You have your orders. For the Greater Good"

His officers saluted him before leaving the room. Now only 'O Shovah, Speaker and a few guards were still inside the room. Looking at the Geth he sighed.

"It appears that this was a doomed venture from the start. My apologies for dragging the Geth into this." He said apologetically.

The Geth did not look angry or antagonistic in any way, although it was difficult to tell what they were feeling. "It is better that we met this new foe in a limited conflict instead of a total war. Time is now available for us to learn more of the Old Machines technology."

Catching Speaker's hidden meaning he replied. "The Farsight Enclave is willing to provide the Geth with some of the synthetic Orks. This was a joint operation and some of the spoils of war deservedly belong to the Geth."

"Acknowldged" replied Speaker, content with the gains it had gotten during the conflict. Platforms were expendable, even in large numbers as they could be replaced. Technology from the Old Machines was far more valuable and was worth the large number of Geth units that were deployed on Cio'qu.

Just because they were building their own future alongside the Tau, instead of being in servitude to the Old Machines and waiting for them to raise the Geth to glory, did not mean that they could not get a competitive boost from the Old Machines.

**2183 CE – Citadel**

Commander Alissa Shepard marched back into the Presidium, Kaiden and Ashley flanking her on both sides. She had received the recording of Saren that would prove his guilt from Tali as thanks for saving her.

_Bastard, you're not getting away with what you did on Eden Prime_ She angrily thought.

The attack on Eden Prime had been swift and brutal. The Geth tried to leave no survivors and nearly succeeded. Most of the colonist who were near the Prothean Beacan were now being buried. Then there were the husks. He remembered the poor prisoners who were left impaled on the 'Dragon's Teecth' and were slowly turned into an organic-synthetic horror.

The larger ones resembling the newly discovered Orks meant that Saren had used these weapons before. The Hunters were harder to take down due to their size but they died all the same.

Anderson and Udina were already in the council room having a shouting match with the three Councilers.

Anderson nodded in greeting to her while Udina was still arguing with Sparatus.

"…and that is why humans are still not ready to ready!" finished Sparatus, quieting down upon seeing Alissa entering the room.

Udina turned to Shepard as he stepped up to stand beside him but thankfully remained quiet, as if sensing the important news she bore.

Looking up at the Council Shepard proclaimed "Councillors, you asked for proof that your best Spectre turned on you. Well here it is if this isn't enough to prove his guilt then nothing will."

Pulling up his Omni-tool he played the recording he had gotten from Tali.

"Eden Prime was a victory. The Beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit" This was unmistakeably Saren's voice. Not even the Council could possibly deny his involvement with the Geth now.

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers" At this Tevos gasped, recognizing the voice.

Udina, a smug look on his face, addressed the Council. "You wanted proof. There it is."

The Turian Councillor relunctantly spoke. "This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in for his crimes."

"I recognize the other voice, the ones speaking with Saren. Matriarch Benezia." Said Tevos.

Alissa recognised the title but not the name. Though if there was a Matriarch with him then Saren had powerful friends and who knows who else may be with him.

"Who's she?" asked Anderson.

"Matriach Benezia is a powerful biotic, and has many followers. She will make a powerful ally for Saren" replied Tevos, confirming Shepards suspicion of Saren having powerful 'friends'.

"I'm more intrested in the Reapers they talked about. What do you know about them?" asked Valern.

"Only what was extracted from the Geth's memory core. The Reapers were an ancient race of machines that hunted down the Protheans. Then they vanished." Answered Anderson.

"The Geth believed the Reapers are Gods. And that Saren is the prophet for their return." She added

Picking up from there Anderson finished "We think the Conduit is the key to bringing them back. Saren's searching for it. That why he attacked Eden Prime."

Above them several of the onlookers wrote down what was just mentioned. Even if it sounded crazy, it was a new theory of the Protheans mysterious disappearance and actually had some evidence to support it. Even if said evidence wasn't tangible.

"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" inquired the Salarian Councillor, already sceptical of their claims.

"Saren thinks that it can bring back the Reapers. And with an army of Geth at his command, that's bad enough."

Apparently Sparatus had had enough as he immediately refuted their claims of Saren wanting to bring back a race of genocidal machines bent on wiping out all life in the galaxy.

_Though_ Alissa thought _it does sound like something you would find from the sci-fi genre._ If she had not seen the images and visions herself she too would doubt the truth. That didn't stop her from getting frustrated with the lack of trust from the council.

"I warned you about Saren and you refused to face the truth. Don't make the same mistake again." She warned the Council.

Tevos waved her warning off. "This is different. You've proved that Saren betrayed the Council. We all agree that Saren is using the Geth to search for the Conduit but we don't really know why."

Valern agreed with this giving his own observation of how Saren is manipulating the Geth for his own purposes.

Once again Alissa tried to warn them, this time bringing in the Reapers. Though, this was a mistake as it was clear that the Council had already dismissed the Reapers as a myth.

Seeing that the Council was not making a move against Saren. Udina demanded the Council to send in a fleet to hunt the rogue down.

"A fleet cannot track one man" calmly replied Valern.

"A Citadel fleet could secure the entire area. Keep the Geth from attacking any more of our colonies" shot Udina.

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems" countered Sparatus. "We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies."

_Yet you would do so if it was a Turian colony that was attackded _Shepard bitterly thought. Finally unable to hold in her indignation she attacked the Council.

"Every time humanity asks for help, you ignore us" She shouted.

Udina quickly jumped in to support her. "Shepard's right. I'm sick of this Council and their anti-human bull-"

"Ambassador!" Tevos interrupted. "There is another solution. A way to stop Saren that does no require fleets or armies"

Sparatus seeing what she was leading on to glared at her. "No! It's too soon. Humanity is not ready for the responsibility that comes with joining the Spectres."

Seeing an opportunity, Alissa took it. "I faced Saren on Eden Prime and exposed him for a traitor. I've proven myself."

Valern offered no comment turning to face Sparatus. Sparatus seethed inside, unknown to all but the Council, Valern's silence was essentially his way of saying that he supported Tevos.

Finding himself outvoted he resigned himself to the inevitable.

Seeing that Sparatus had finally accepted it. She began the traditional ceremony of assigning a Spectre.

Within days, the news of the first Human Spectre had spread. Videos taken by onlookers present at the time filled the Extranet. The entire galaxy watched as Commander Alissa Shepard became the most famous human in the galaxy as she was tasked by the Council to apprehend Saren and eliminate the threat he posed. Though unknown to most, not all those who watched the video did so with their eyes.

A Geth program, sent to surf the Extranet in an attempt to better understand organics, recorded the video of the entire meeting. Sending it back to the Perseus Veil, it knew that the Enclave-Geth Alliance would be very interested.

**2183 CE – Vior'los**

The newly promoted Shas'Vre Shi'ur left the briefing room. His latest orders were to lead a Cadre and monitor Saren's movements and if possible take him out. He was even allowed to get the new Perch Class Infiltrator Frigate and had an entire Cadre, with all the Fire Warriors, Battlesuits and vehicles that came with them, at his command for this.

He walked along the corridor towards the space port. According to Shas'O Sha'vastos his new Cadre was already awaiting him aboard the 1.3 km special frigate. Pulling up the files given to him by Shas'O Sha'vastos, he could see that Saren was recently accused of treason and working against the Council by humans, namely a Commander Alissa Shepard had been particularly vocal about his guilt and had declared he would prove his guilt.

Apparently Saren had attacked the human colony of Eden Prime and had stolen away a Prothean Artifact of some kind. 'Vre Shi'ur stepped onto an Orca waiting for him and gave the Air Caste pilot his location before it took off towards the spaceport.

Considering that Saren had the Old Machine and a sizable fleet of Heretics with him, he couldn't see himself winning in a space battle, despite his technology advantage. The Farsight Enclave still also had no idea of what the Old Machine was capable of aside from the fact that it was centuries more advanced than the Mass Effect technology used by most.

Old Machine aside; the sheer number of Heretic ships would be capable of overwhelming his stealth ship Timek'la Perch Ar'cea.

No, if they were to kill Saren it would have to be on ground away from the Old Machine. Otherwise they could also request a fleet to aid them in combating his armada, though this was less preferred as 'O Shavoh wants to remain unknown to the Citadel Council for reasons known only to him and his inner council.

Reaching the space port he stepped out of the Orca. From here he would have to take a smaller shuttle into the Air Caste orbital city where his ship awaited.

Always the soldier is mind shifted back to the mission. He remembered that the human; Commander Shepard was also tracking Saren. If that was so then he could in turn track her and she would lead him to Saren.

Stowing this away as a back-up plan he ascended up into the sky.

**Hunter Cadre – The equivalent of a company of troops. Usually this would be a commander squad with several Fire Warriors, a Pathfinder team alongside Kroot, Vespid and Gue'vesa auxiliaries, with Battlesuits and other vehicles as support. Though since the Ethereals has forbidden contact with the Farsight Enclaves, there are only Gue'vesa auxiliaries left within the Enclave. To make up for this Farsight Enclave Hunter Cadres have more Fire Warriors, Battlesuits and Vehicles.**

**If anyone has a better name for the Enclave-Geth alliance. I'm all ears as my bland one doesn't sound at all interesting.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm surprised at the speed that I'm writing these. Though I expect to slow down; since exams are just around the corner. Nevertheless here goes.**

**After thinking about it I decided that the Pulse (plasma) weapons that the Tau use will punch through the kinetic barriers and either burn through armour if its light or cook the wearer if its heavier. After all their rifles has been described as something akin to light artillery designed for long range combat. The carbine is essentially the same as the rifles except that they have multiple barrels as opposed to the rifles two. This just makes them more useful at close combat cause they can fire faster but have less range than the rifle. So it's perfect for close combat situations.**

**Since the Pulse weapons may as well be one hit kills I decided that the Tau don't need shields. I'm just going to assume that the Tau are unable to integrate mass effect technology into their own without downgrading their technology in other ways. While I'm aware that they are very technologically adaptable, I see this as the best way to ensure they aren't overwhelmingly powerful compared to the rest of the galaxy. So since their body armour doesn't cover all parts of the body they are pretty vulnerable to accurate firing. Their armour might be able to withstand shots but unlike shields don't recharge so once its damaged it'll remain that way till they can replace it.**

**That being said they will still have the advantage of being more experienced at fighting in situations where a single shot can kill you, whereas everyone else is used to using shields. Anyway enough of my ramblings.**

**Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware and Warhammer 40K belongs to Games Workshop.**

* * *

**2183 CE – Perseus Veil**

Kor'O Doran wasted away in her uncomfortable command chair. Her fleet had spent the last few weeks patrolling the edges of the Perseus Veil and on standby if the Rra Kauyon taskforce sent beyond the Veil sent a request for assistance. Now the boredom of inactivety was killing her.

Aside from the occasional Geth ships, which she had kindly greet and talk about absolutely pointless things before going their separate ways, and the even rarer Ork Roks, that she took great pleasure in destroying, there was nothing of significance happening.

She fidgeted in her seat, her crew while well trained and experienced, were also efficient to the point that she was not needed to manage the day to day maintenance of the ship. While she did encourage this behaviour as this could potentially save them in the future; it also left her with virtually no work aside from approving the occasional requests from the various departments of the Tinek'la Or'es El'leath Doran.

The other 44 ships in her fleet, ranging from the 900 metre Kir'la escorts to the 3.7 kilometer Lar'shi'vre cruisers drifted in behind her ship. Hourly reports showed more or less the same thing.

They were all combat ready and prepared for anything that the galaxy could throw at them. Unfortunately the ships that the Citadel possessed were ridiculously small. By their classification almost all their ships were dreadnought class with the few exceptions being super cruisers. The only thing in this galaxy that could compare was the Old Machine.

That their 'Prophet' preached that the Old Machines would return and purge all organic life and that their only chance of survival was to prove the worth of Organics by serving them, meant to her that they would soon become enemies.

And Saren. 'O Doran shook with anger as she remembered their first encounter. That bastard would get what was coming for him, soon if the reports from the Rra Kauyon were to be trusted.

'Kor'O, we have detected an anomaly near the relay. It appears to be a ship, though none that we can identify."

Intrigued she ordered it to put on screen. A ship they could not identify was rare, the Geth were generous when they shared their information on the galaxy at large. That had included classifications of ships and rather detailed information that they could not have possibly gotten from a public site.

'Geth do not infiltrate' was the response they gave when asked if they infiltrated the Citadel for this. She did not believe that for a second.

Back onto the issue at hand, the unknown ship was of human make though it did not appear to be of the System Alliance Navy. The colour scheme consisted of silver, black and orange with an emblem that looked like an orange diamond showing proudly on its side.

The ship appeared to have spotted her fleet and seeing the huge difference in power, was now quickly retreating back towards the relay, hoping to get away.

Sighing, she ordered the ship destroyed. The difference between Enclave Ships and Geth ships was too great for anyone to mistake them. They could not let any them escape the Perseus Veil and inform the galaxy of the Enclaves existence before they were ready.

Though she disliked the order she understood the necessity of it and steeled herself as her fleet closed in for the kill.

Whoever they were, they were as good as dead as the railguns on her ship opened fire on the much smaller vessel. It stood no chance; the railgun tore straight through it, detonating explosions across the ship as the vessel shattered.

If the ship were to go missing then it would be assumed that the Geth did it. After all no one had come out of the Perseus Veil alive or more likely no one was crazy enough to actually go into it.

_Except for this one._ Thought 'O Doran as the ship fell apart. Ordering her vanguard to search the wreckage she fell back into her chair. At least she now had something to do, the High Council would want a report of this and as Kor'O it was her duty to write it.

Sighing again she set to work.

* * *

**2183 CE – Undisclosed Location**

A shadowy figure sat on his chair scanning the report. The Echidna had been presumably destroyed after encountering a fleet of gigantic proportions.

What it was doing in Geth space was beyond even him but in the end it proved useful. The Crimson Fleet consisting of over 50 dreadnought class and above vessels had proven hostile and destroyed the Echidna with great ease.

Luckily the crew had managed to send a desperate distress call back to him before they were destroyed. The possibility of the Geth preparing for an invasion entered his head and passed right out the next moment.

These vessels were obviously greatly different to the Geth's. These new ships were blocky and red compared to the Geth's grey and insectoid ships.

Taking a whiff of smoke he contemplated the ramifications of this new player in the galaxy.

The loss of the Echidna and its crew was a shame but if humanity is to survive, sacrifices must be made for the greater good.

* * *

**2183 CE – Sentry Omega, Hoc System, Virmire **

Shas'Vre Shi'ur equipped his commander battlesuit. Across the hanger his Rra Kauyon Cadre, in their crimson and blade armour made ready for the mission. Their AI had managed to intercept a distress signal from a Salarian STG team on Virmire. The STG had managed to discover a Krogan breeding facility. While this was interesting to him, it was not important to their mission.

That was until they learned that it was Saren who had built the facility. Immediately, the Timek'la Perch Ar'cea set warp course to Virmire. The warp was now strange, whereas it was usually turbulent and wild, ever since the warp storm two years ago; all warp jump had been unusually calm and controlled.

_Though, it's the Earth Caste's problem not mine. _'Vre Shi'ur thought. As they now neared the planet's atmosphere, he had decided on an audacious plan, exemplifying the Mont'ka.

They would first land Pathfinders and Stealthsuits in to mark the facilities defence towers with Markerlights. As the Council forbids the orbital bombardment of Garden Worlds, the defenders would be unprepared for when his frigate hits their defences.

As Saren was researching some form of cure to the Genophage, the High Council wanted some of the research, no doubt to use it as some form of leverage of the Council when they inevitable meet. So unfortunately they could not simply bombard the facility as they could the defence towers.

During the bombardment and while Saren's subordinates scrambled, battlesuits would be air dropped onto the facility to secure a foothold while the rest of the Cadre were transported onto the planet. The vanguard of Pathfinders would move up to support the battlesuits.

When all their forces were planet side they would launch an attack, striking to find and kill Saren, thus cutting off the head of the snake. Afterwards several plasma bombs will be planted at the facility to both allow their escape and to eliminate evidence of their actions here. Drones will have to be deployed to ensure the bombs go off.

If they failed to kill Saren then the plasma bomb will still destroy a good portion of the facility, rendering it unusable. If they couldn't kill him then at least they could destroy one of his valued assets.

As for the STG team stranded on Virmire. Well, sometimes sacrifices must be made for the Greater Good and Shas'O Shovah's orders were clear. Contact with the Council or any of its affiliates were to be avoided at all costs, the fact that they were allied with the Geth would make them automatically enemies. . If the two entities were to meet then it would be on the Farsights Enclave's terms, not the Councils.

There was no way for a confrontation between the two forces to not happen so they had to be silenced. The Stealthsuits had their orders. The Salarians would not even know they were under attack until it was too late.

Time was against them; no doubt the Council had also received the distress call and had sent Shepard to investigate. Their Geth 'infiltrators' who studied the Citadel through the extranet had seen several reports of the SSV Normandy making its way towards Virmire. Though thankfully warp travel was a faster FTL than Mass Effect FTL allowing them to arrive hours ahead of them.

If all went well then by the time the Spectre arrived all she would find was ruins and hopefully a very dead Saren.

* * *

**2183 CE – Virmire, Krogan Breeding Facility, STG Camp**

Captain Kirrahe eyed the distant facility warily. Half his men had already lost their lives investigating the damned facility, though he knew their deaths were not in vain as they had finally discovered Saren.

Sending out the distress call to the Citadel had been a risk. The Geth and Krogan garrisoning the facility may have picked up the coded message though they had been content with letting the Salarians be so far. Whether it was because they luckily didn't detect the transmission or because they thought they had already killed the STG off was unknown.

His men were in no position to fight. Morale had been low when they discovered they were stranded and their limited supplies meant that they stood no chance against the overwhelming numbers the enemy had.

A sudden rustle behind him had the captain drawing his pistol and aiming it at a bush. Narrowing his eyes he thought he could see something. A shimmer, no it looked more like a heat wave but that was impossible the planet wasn't hot enough for-

Any other thoughts were cut off as he felt armored arms grab his neck. He saw a knife slicing across his throat as he struggle to comprehend what was happening.

The Tau who had performed the deed glared at the stealthsuit who had been spotted. Their mission counted on stealth, the Salarians though few could cause enough noise to alarm the facility if they had to fight to the death.

All around the Salarian camp, STG soldiers were silently being killed off by his squad. A quick knife to the neck, a broken neck here and there and if absolutely necessary; then a quick concealed plasma blast, to finish off a struggling Salarian. The XV15 Stealthsuits making them nearly invisible as they hunted their prey.

The Shas'Ui did not relish killing off neutrals but did as his orders stated. Sometimes the few must be sacrificed for the majority and the Salarians could not be allowed to threaten the Greater Good of the Farsight Enclave.

A large blast caught his attention. The ion blast from their hidden frigate vaporising the Defence towers located around the facility with great accuracy. Entire towers and even some of its foundation disappeared completely as the Ion Cannon made short work of the fortified positions.

Clearly the Pathfinders had done well, though that was to be expected from the Rra Kauyon. Incompetence was something they would not stand.

Searching the skies he was rewarded with the sight of Mantas gliding above the facility, nearly a dozen XV8 Crisis Battlesuits launched themselves out of the shuttle. Free falling towards the facility until they were just above it they activated their Jet packs allowing them to slow their fall somewhat, right into the milling Heretics and Krogan.

* * *

**2183 CE – Virmire, Krogan Breeding Facility, Outer Perimeter**

Rahm was a Krogan Warrior standing guard near the facility. This facility was what he believed the best chance for the Krogan. The damned Turians and Salarians had put his race on the path of extinction and now they were a broken shadow of their former glory.

But with this facility, the Krogan people would be restored, no longer would they be a shattered and dying race. They would finally be able to bring their race back from the dredges and regain their former glory. He would willingly sacrifice his life to ensure this happened and he knew the other Krogan employed to defend the facility felt the same.

Even if it was a Turian who was curing them, for his race he would swallow his pride and serve him for the continued existence of his people. This was how much this meant to him. A chance to change the face of the galaxy. He knew there those that would want to stop their resurgence. The Turians, STG, Spectres, hell even some of the factions within the Terminus would rather the Krogan die off.

He thought he was prepared to face anything, he never expected to face 2 metre high giant robots with huge guns as its arms that fall from the sky. While he had seen the Geth Armnaments and Colossals, he could tell these were not the same. The way it moved did not have the same methodical way of moving that the Geth did.

It was also too fluid for it to be a mech either. And their weapons… they were unstoppable. Kinetic Barriers were blown aside as blue plasma collided with them. He had already seen their effects. The Krogan Battlemaster he was hiding in cover with had stood out of cover and sprayed the machine with his machine gun.

It was a surprise to see no shields being activated when the slugs connected. His surprise continued when the Mech took minimal damage as the Battlemaster overheated his gun on the mech, small scratches the only visable scars seen on the armour of the Mech.

His surprise then turned to dread when the Mech turned to face them and unleashed its guns onto the Battlemaster. Kinetic Barriers were blown aside as blue plasma collided with the Battlemaster. The sheer force of the blast blew the Krogan onto his back, the Battlemaster screamed in agony as his flesh was fried within his armour. A large melted hole where the chestplate could be seen, if one looked into it they would see that the hole went through the entire body.

Despite this the Battlemaster struggled, unable to accept his approaching death he tried to get up. He managed to make it to a crouch position before he limply fell again onto the bloody floor. This time he did not get up again.

The Geth platforms that were guarding the perimeter were fighting the mechs. Desperately trying to keep the intruders from advancing they fought with all they had.

The Krogan's experienced eyes noted that the Geth were not engaging the black mech as they would other enemies. While this wasn't surprising seeing that their opponent was a goddamn 2 metre mech, their formations and overall tactics seemed to be specialised for this type of opponent.

They surrounded it. The various Geth troopers firing in seemingly random order as the mech tried to find a target. While its gun was powerful, it couldn't blast through the solid metal walls; though it did leave a huge dent in it.

Eventually through much effort the mech seemed to slowly but surely taking damage bit by bit. Rahm had added his own fire towards the mech, taking cover when it started to turn towards him, knowing that one shot was all that was needed to finish him. A few Geth and other Krogans were too slow to do this and shared the same fate as the Battlemaster, though with the Geth their entire metal frame melted off.

One of the Mechs went down, its frame riddled with slugs as it fell to floor. Then a second mech fell when a Geth Rocket Trooper managed to take it down with its 6th rocket.

Things were looking up until the mech's reinforcements came. They were bipedal like most races and he would have mistaken them for humans if they didn't have hoofs for feet. Armoured in black and crimson they shifted from cover to cover as moved up to support their machines.

Rising out of cover he opened fire on the advancing aliens, he managed to headshot one of them with a burst of slugs, the first slugs cracking the helmet and the last going into it. As the lifeless corpse slumped to the ground, his comrades opened fire on him.

Assured that his shield was strong enough and confident that their weapons couldn't be as strong as the mechs; he noticed too late that they fired the same blast of blue plasma as the mech.

* * *

Shas'Vre Shi'ur arrived with his warriors in his commander battlesuit. The assault had gone well, the presence of so many Krogans had been a hinderance but they were soon eliminated with the heretics.

That the heretics had developed methods of combating their Battlesuits, led to the question of whether the Geth had as well.

Nevertheless the attack had gone well and a secure landing zone had been secured at the front of the base. Saren's presence in the facility had been confirmed and 'Vre Shi'ur patched into an open frequency to parley with the enemy.

"Saren, this is Shas'Vre Shi'ur of the Farsight Enclave. You cannot win this battle so I offer you one chance for you to surrender yourself for the Greater Good. All your followers will be taken prisoners but will be treated fairly. Spare both of us the bloodshed and give up."

Saren's response came only a moment later. "Commander Shi'ur, you can take your 'Greater Good' and shove it up your ass for all I care. The Reapers cannot be stopped and your Farsight Enclaves will be blown aside when the Reapers make their return. Only through servitude to the Reapers can we even have a chance of survival against them."

"Then you will die.

Closing off the channel he ordered his Cadre to begin the assault. None inside the facility would survive; he would make sure of it for the Greater Good.

* * *

Saren slammed his talons onto the table in anger. He had not expected the Farsight Enclave to send forces after them. He had hoped that by placing 'Dragon's Teeth' in Ork infested worlds and turning them into husks, he could delay them long enough for the Reapers to return before they made contact with the Council. With a threat internally tying up their military they would not risk contact with the Council when being allies with the Geth would likely make them enemies if diplomatic terms went south.

While he did make them put off first contact between the Council and the Farsight Enclave. He had no expected them to risk sending Special Forces after him into Citadel Space. He had miscalculated badly; now the Rra Kauyon had somehow tracked him to his base and were in the process of storming it.

Looking at a holographic tactical map, he could see Enclave forces making progress into the facility. Their troops possessing plasma weapons made short work of his Krogan and Geth guards. While they in turn lacked shields; they were used to fighting in circumstances where a single mistake could end in a grisly death.

His own forces, in comparison lacked that experience. They were used to having shields to protect them and once they were down they would take cover until it recharged. This technique was null against the Enclaves plasma weaponry that took apart shields like paper and burnt through hardsuits.

Attempts to obtain this technology had resulted in failure. The Enclave were very paranoid about this and often recovered equipment dropped on the battlefield. Replicating them from what they knew about it was still in the planning stage and if this facility fell then it would never get past that stage.

Arming himself he prepared to enter the combat. Two Geth Primes fell in step behind him acting as his personal guards.

He could tell from the way Shi'ur had spoken that the alien was confident in his victory. Even if was no longer a Spectre, he was the best of the best. It was time for Tau to learn that.

* * *

Commander Alissa Shepard was cautious as her team entered the STG Camp or at least what was left of it. Salarian bodies littered the camp, their thoats were cut, necks snapped or in one case a head was nothing but a bloody mess. Whoever did this was not only ruthless but extremely efficient as many of the STG showed no sign of struggle.

Elite Operatives, trained for assassination, espionage, infiltration and the like being killed off one by one without any alarm going off. That was a scary thought.

Joker had managed to drop them off on the planet directly at the STG Camp. The defence towers that should have been placed around the facility was replaced with smouldering rocks. That meant someone got here before them and, if the smoke coming from all over the facility and the massacred STG team was any indication, that someone was no friend of Saren or the Council.

Signalling Wrex to stay on point, the team advanced towards the rear of the facility. Whoever was attacking the facility was causing quite a lot of ruckus and with most of the Geth diverted they could sneak in, find Saren, kill him, and hopefully escape before they get caught in the crossfire, though she doubted it would be as simple as that. Life is never that easy.

* * *

**Battlesuits**

**XV15 Stealthsuit: The smallest and lightest of the suits and designed for stealth missions. Its given to Fire Warriors to perform covert operations such as espionage, sabotage, infiltration and reconnaissance. Though this is an out dated model compared to the XV25's the Enclave still uses this as mass production of the newer XV25 is still not practical as of yet. **

**XV25 Stealthsuit: The better version of the XV15 and retains most of the same features. The Enclave only recently gained access to them before the warp storm when a shipment of them was 'accidently' rerouted to the Farsight Enclaves. Now I wonder how that happened 'cough, cough' Vior'los 'cough'.**

**XV8 Crisis Battlesuit: The bread and butter of the Tau army. They make up the majority of the Tau battlesuits because of their versatility and the formidable armaments that can be mounted on to them. That they can be adapted to fit the battlefield makes them highly useful. **

**XV88 Broadside Battlesuit: The heaviest ground unit the Tau have. It is similar to the XV8 but sacrifices mobility and speed for overwhelming fire power. Designed to be the long ranged mobile heavy artillery they are capable of punching through the toughest of armour.**

**As for a Riptide I'm not sure whether it's plausible for the Enclave to have one. It's a relatively new battlesuit and still a prototype. Furthermore since they are cut off from the majority of the Tau Earth Caste researchers, they have a slower rate of development when compared to the Tau Empire. While I'm sure they could develop their own variant; I'm not sure if they should have it now because someone happened to lose the schematics, only for it to reappear in the hands of the Farsight Enclave. I'll give a description anyway though.**

**XV104 Riptide Battlesuit: The newest battlesuit that the Earth Caste had constructed. It's roughly just over 2 times the height of a XV8 Crisis Battlesuit. It possesses more fire power than the XV8 but moves just as fluidly as them. They are just as versatile as the XV8 and fills much of the same role in combat. The pilots of the XV104 are chosen from the best of the Fire Caste, those who have shown themselves to be exemplar in all things. Unfortunately due to the rarity of certain materials necessary to build just one, they are not as common as the XV8's. **


	5. Chapter 5

**This took longer since I had to write out two essays for school and another random story idea that came to me. That and my glasses broke. Anyhow I'll address some issues. The Enclave Fleet was located in the Perseus Veil not Virmire. So there is no 50 dreadnought sized ships hovering in orbit over Virmire. Also I thought the Tau shields only applied to their ships and those shield drones they have. I didn't see shielding included in a Firewarriors basic kit so I assumed they don't have them. This may be wrong since it's off the wikia and if that's the case could you please direct me to where I could find more reliable information. Thanks for reading.**

**(EDIT: I forgot to put in line breakers. Fixed Now)**

* * *

**2183 CE – Virmire, Krogan Breeding Facility**

Shas'Vre Shi'ur blew apart another Heretic Trooper, its mechanical remains flying everywhere when the plasma hit it head on. That made it his 22nd kill so far. Around him his Fire Warriors used their superior range to put down the Heretics as they tried to counterattack. So far this seemed like a wasteful plan seeing that the Enclave could kill them before they could even get within range.

_There must be a reason for this diversion._ He thought. Saren was no incompetent and even an idiot could see that counterattacking them was useless. Another Heretic Trooper turned the corner only to be shot down like its comrades.

The defenders and attackers were at an impasse. There was a natural chokepoint made up of rocks ahead that made it so only two abreast could pass at a time. The Heretics were no doubt surrounding that point where range would not matter in such a tight area.

Deciding that wasting time like was getting them nowhere, he ordered his Cadre to advance with the remaining XV8 Battlesuits to act as the vanguard.

Activating their jetpacks. The Crisis Battlesuits jumped ahead of the Cadre and landed behind a score of Heretics who were set up to defend the choke point. There was flipped over tables and other debris piled on top of each other to make rudimentary cover.

None of that mattered of course as the Heretics quickly opened fire on the Battlesuits and were promptly destroyed by the oversized suit of armour.

The Shas'Ui in charge of the squad signalled the 'all clear' to the rest of the Cadre and they moved in an orderly fashion, spreading out to avoid being stuck in the choke point.

They were making good progress. Only 20 minutes into the attack and the front doors to the facility were already in sight. The outer defences were already neutralised and resistance seemed to be getting weaker as they got closer.

Signalling his forces to continue the advance, 'Vre Shi'ur jumped on top of a nearby rock to get a view of the facility. As soon as he landed, a slug rebounded off his suit's helmet as he was spotted by some sniper further in. Nevertheless he took one good look at the facility, noting areas of interest, before he stepped off the rock, another sniper shot narrowly missing his head.

There was some elevation to the east; he could send a squad of Pathfinders with Rail Rifles to provide overwatch for the rest of his forces.

The northeast on the other hand was a kill zone with a clearing with a small pond before there was a rock overhang. Probably filled with Heretics waiting to spring an ambush. He ordered his warriors approaching it to mark it first so that orbital bombardment could clear it first.

Directly north of them appeared to be some sort of storage. He couldn't leave any enemy behind them so he sent one of the reserve squads to investigate it.

What really troubled him, however, was Saren's eerie absence from the battlefield. He could be waiting for them inside the facility, content with whittling down their numbers with the army of Heretics he commanded. But was he willing to risk whatever research he had with a fire fight in there?

* * *

Saren was in fact inside the facility. Though not because he was waiting in ambush. Shepard, of all people had managed to track him here. As if the Enclave knocking on his door wasn't enough he had to deal with the blasted human as well.

As it turned out, they managed to find him before he found them. The sudden noise of gunfire sent him jumping right as he avoided the fire the racked his two Geth guards. Drawing a pistol he rushed to cover behind the corner and returned fire as the two Geth were overwhelmed in the shower of slugs.

"Give yourself up Saren! You can't escape. It's over." Shouted Shepard.

Saren nearly laughed at that. Did the human really think that would work?

"I can't let you disrupt what I've accomplished here." He shouted back.

Then, in a darker undertone. "You can't possibly understand what's really at stake."

A large explosion rocked the facility. You could feel the shockwaves even this far back in the facility. Saren grimaced. The damned Enclave must have blown the reinforced front doors. It appears that Commander Shi'ur was quite efficient if he had already made that far.

"Looks like you have guests Saren. I guess you must have gotten on the bad side of more than just the Council" he heard Shepard shout… closer this time.

Breaking his cover he saw the Krogan advancing along the hall, Shepard right behind him.

He generated his biotics and unleashed at them knocking both of them back down the hallway. A Turian and Quarian that had been covering them immediately fired on him as he took cover again.

"Nice try Shepard, you'll have to do better than that to sneak up on me." He mocked.

He heard the Krogan snarl as Shepard shouted "Why are you doing this? Why help the Reapers?"

His reply was instantaneous, rehearsed even. "You've seen the vision from the beacon, Shepard. You, of all people, should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped."

"Look at the Protheans. They tried to fight and were destroyed. Trillions dead. But what if they had bowed before the invaders? Would the Protheans still exist? Is submission not preferable to extinction?" He asked.

He heard Shepard snort. "Do you really think the Reapers will let us live?"

"The Geth will survive the coming invasion. Not because they worship them, no, their own 'deity' finds it insulting. They will live because they are useful tools. That is what we have to be… think of how many lives would be saved." He finished softly.

He could almost see the faces of those he had killed. Was this many deaths really necess- _NO –_ It was the only way. -_This is the only path- _Some have to be sacrificed to save the many. There was no other choice.

He steeled himself once again. "But you would undo my work…"

He could feel the anger inside him. This human was trying to stop him from saving the galaxy. Could he not see that he was organics best hope?

"You would doom our entire civilization to complete annihilation. And for that you must die"

As he prepared to break cover again the ceiling gave way as a large form fell in between them.

Alissa Shepard thought she had seen it all. Unfortunately it appears she hadn't if the large black mech that landed in between them had anything to say about it.

Approximately 2 metre in height, it had large guns replacing its forearms and boy were they big. Luckily it appeared to facing Saren, who promptly decided he could not take it on with a pistol and was quickly sprinting away.

Signalling her team to fall back, they silently retreated back into the corridor the came through, hoping that the machine would not see them.

As luck would have it, it didn't instead jumping back out the hole it made and disappearing from view. Everyone, with the exception of Wrex who actually looked excited about the prospect of fighting it, gave a collective sigh of relief.

"What was that thing?" Tali asked, voicing the question they all had in their mind.

"I don't know but I'm guessing that's what attacking him" answered Alissa.

Seeing that it wasn't coming back, she ordered her team to follow Saren.

* * *

'Vre Shi'ur heard his comm beep."Shas'Vre, I have found Saren and am now persuing." Good, Saren was found.

"Understood, mark his location for the rest of Cadre. He won't escape us." He replied.

Receiving acknowledgement he turned his attention back to the plasma bomb being planted. He could just let the bomb take Saren out along with the facility. But there was no guarantee that he would get caught in the explosion and wouldn't be able to confirm it anyway.

What little remained of the Heretics were now focusing on stopping their advance by hiding around corners and waiting for his warriors to come to them. As the larger battlesuits couldn't fit into the building, they had to hop around the roof, hoping to find a weak spot for them to enter. More than a few had fallen when they advanced down the narrow halls, they inhabited. It appears that the Heretics had smartened up.

"Halt the assault." He ordered.

His warriors looked at him in surprise. He primed his plasma gun and stepped forward. "I will lead the next attack."

There were no objections to this. His suit was equipped with a shield drone that used a gravitational shield to protect itself. Said drone was deployed as he hovered around him, waiting to intercept anything dangerous hurtling towards him.

He put himself into a running position and took off down the hallway. His Fire Warriors struggled to keep up as they charged with him.

The Heretic, upon seeing them charging again, opened fire on the one in front, which happened to be him. The shield drone moved in front of him and deflected the incoming fire. Slugs were redirected all around him as the drone moved with him.

Nearing the end of the corridor he fired an emp grenade. Electric sparks flickered as the Heretics were temporarily frozen.

This was all the time he need. Using his speed as a boost, he activated the blade attached to his right arm and plunged it into one of the Heretics chest. Turning around, he fired a blast of plasma into the other's torso, destroying the Heretic's core.

The remaining Heretic tried to pull back seeing their advantage was lost in an attempt to preserve what little forces they had left. Only two got away before he rest of the Rra Kauyon were on top of them. A wall of plasma annihilating the Heretics.

Satisfied with the skirmish, Shi'ur prepared to move out again when he got a report from his second squad of warriors attacking elsewhere.

"Shas'vre we appear to have spotted Commander Shepard and her team. How should we proceed?"

Shi'ur released a growl of frustration. Shepard was already here! How was he going to deal with this? Killing her was the easiest way but so far her track record suggests that she might somehow, whether through luck or skill, survive. That and killing the galaxy's first human spectre would draw attention to Virmire and investigators might find traces of the Enclave. No matter how hard they try to hide the evidence they were not perfect and could make mistakes.

But leaving her alive was also impossible with knowledge of their presence here. She had no doubt spotted his Cadre and was going to report their presence to the Council. The very thing that High Command didn't want to happen.

Deciding on a course of action he ordered his squad to support them from a distance. If conversation was struck then give them intentionally vague answers. If they attacked then permission was given to kill Shepard. He would be there soon.

Sighing he resumed his attack on the facility. Shepard arriving here earlier than expected was a possibility he had thought of but not actually expected. High Command had ordered all witnesses to be silenced for the Greater Good and with the forces he had available he could probably manage it.

The Human System Alliance wasn't going to take the loss of their only Spectre very well however and killing her here could cause numerous problems in the future. This wasn't some STG team that no one knew about. This was potentially the most recent famous person in the galaxy.

His Fire warriors reported that they were now being confronted by Shepard and her team. He sighed again.

* * *

Commander Alissa Shepard trained her assault rifle at the black armoured humanoid in front of her. He team was likewise doing so and the squad of aliens were just as prepared. So far there had been no words spoken between the two, her questions had been ignored so far.

They were waiting for something or someone that was for sure. One of them had spoken into his wrist before training his long rifle back at them a shot while ago. They were clearly calling someone but whom?

She did not have to wait for long as a second squad of black soldiers appeared from behind them. Their guns aimed but not firing as they moved to stand some distance behind her team. Kaiden and Liara instantly turned their attention to the new threat.

Now it was her 7 team members against their 24 soldiers. Not good odds. Her attention was turned to one of the taller black suited soldiers that walked out in front.

He stood taller than the others and had several obvious arms attached to him. A small drone hovered by him, positioning itself as a shield.

"Commander Alissa Shepard?" it said in a distorted mechanical voice.

Narrowing her eyes she answered "Yeah that me, who are you?"

The alien paused for a moment before answering. "I am what you would translate to 'Hero'"

"Hero?" she asked incredulously.

Shaking her head. "Never mind, what are you doing here and who are you working with?"

The Alien just stared back at her with its faceless helmet. "My…soldiers and I are here to kill Saren as for who I work for… you will find out soon enough" he said mysteriously.

Before she could ask again it continued. "Saren is an enemy to both of us, whether you kill him or we kill him matters very little. He is dead either way."

"Your point being?"

"I have a proposition. We will help you kill Saren and you in turn will keep our existence a secret."

Suspicious now, she cautiously asked. "And if I refused."

At that the aliens surrounding made a loud noise in unison. It sounded like a power generator activated with all the build-up and all.

"Then you will die here." The alien leader simply replied.

Despite the threat there was no shooting as of yet so she assumed that it was letting her decide.

Refusing would mean fighting all of these guys at a disadvantage, and she was sure that they still had more to call on. The dead STG was almost certainly their work and why they were sparing her was a mystery. They could just be luring her into lowering her guard before they struck.

Accepting would mean keeping them a secret. But their existence was something the Council needed to know about. Humanity was already disliked in the galaxy. If she was seen as being distrustful to the Council despite being sworn to serve them then her actions would reflect on all of humanity.

Looking at her team she saw nods from each of them, obviously trusting her to make the right decision. _Right no pressure._

Could they be trusted? Probably not, they hadn't even told her who they were yet anyway.

"All right then we'll work together… for now anyway." She finally answered.

The alien nodded in satisfaction and his subordinates lowered their guns. It looks like they weren't going to die today after all.

"So… what can you tell me of the situation?" Shepard asked.

'Hero' took a moment before he answered her question. "Saren has fled to the back of the facility and my forces are now pursuing him. Once he is dead we will destroy this facility so you would best be back in your ship by then."

"What is this facility? And what is Saren doing here?"

"This is a research facility. From what information we have gathered he is researching a cure for the Genophage and his notes suggest that he has succeeded."

"WHAT?!" roared Wrex.

He rushed up to the alien, the tension returning to the room as his soldiers trained their guns onto Wrex.

Stopping short of him, Wrex asked. "Saren has a cure for the Genophage here and you're going to destroy it?"

Hero looked down on the Krogan. "Most of the research has already been taken by my people. In the future, we may be willing to negotiate with the Krogan for it but now is not the time."

Wrex didn't back down though; he edged closer to the alien until he was nearly touching it. "And why would you people want the cure."

"It will serve as a political tool for future endeavours." It answered bluntly and truthfully.

The Krogan Battlemaster was quiet for a moment before he snarled but otherwise backed down.

The alien turned back to her. "I hope that this will not be a problem?"

Wrex glared at her, as if daring her to speak. "None at all"

"So you have plan?" she asked as they finally began to move.

The first squad they encountered had rushed ahead into the corridor. She noticed with interest that they took very little chances always sticking to cover and making sure that there was a squad mate providing overwatch.

"Indeed. I want to keep our presence here a secret but since you are here that is not possible now. Saren is wanted by your Council and they will most likely want proof of his demise. So you should be the one to finish him. Most of my… soldiers are engaged throughout the facility and has the… Geth's attention, so you should meet little organised resistance."

"If you take a left at the next corridor there should be a open balcony, you and your team can jump down from there and circumspect most of the base. How you get back in is up to you but this way you can engage Saren when most of his Geth are distracted by us."

"All right then, you better not be thinking of backstabbing us. We're not that easy to take down" replied Shepard.

The alien gestured in a way that looked like it was chuckling. "It had never crossed my mind."

"Right." She said sceptically.

* * *

As the human turned the corner, Shi'ur let himself relax. How the Water Caste did this so easily was beyond him. He had newfound respect for them, negotiating with potentially hostile entities was no easy task.

Still he had managed it and Saren's chances were decreasing by the minute. He smiled inside his suit; the Hunt was nearly done.

* * *

**A bit shorter this time, as I said my glasses had to be taken away for repairs and it's hard to write without them. I'm using a weaker set but still can't see that well**

**This was a bit late. Been using the term a lot but never made a note about it. Or I don't think I did.**

**Rra Kauyon – Roughly translate to Shadow Hunters. More or less the Enclave equivalent of STG. Their armour is black with crimson and though they share the same emblem on their armour. They are made up of all Castes but mostly Air and Fire.**

**If any character is a bit OOC please tell me and if you can give me some friendly advice. Thanks.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I've run out of steam and stopped making chapters every 2 days. Europa Universalis IV taking up far too much of my time. Literally that games takes a lot of patience to play. **

**Anyway I'm standing by my decision to keep Tau Fire Warriors shieldless. As I said it balances it out more seeing that plasma is superbly effective against the Kinetic barriers (Or at least it is here) and I don't want the Enclaves to be too overpowered. Their much bigger fleet already gives them a huge advantage.**

**Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware and Warhammer 40000 belongs to Games Workshop.**

**2183 CE – Virmire, Krogan Breeding Facility**

With most of the Heretics dead and his fortress penetrated it was thought Saren was defeated. Unfortunately it appeared that he still had aces up his sleeve. That ace came charging at him down the corridor. Synthetic Orks, as if organic Orks weren't bad enough.

These synthetic ones were now dubbed Ferals, due to their behaviour and also since they had even less intelligence than an Ork. This lack of intelligence was probably made up by their harder skin and increased strength. They even lacked the Ork's signature war cry, replacing it with an eerie synthetic shrills.

Seeing that his Fire Warriors were overwhelmed by the sheer number of Ferals filling the corridors. Shas'Vre Shi'ur ordered a tactical retreat to a position where they could handle their numbers. Preferably a wide and open area which was, unfortunately, only found outside the facility.

Fire Warriors died as they swiftly retreated. The rear guard who had valiantly stayed behind to buy their comrades time reported that their position was lost before all contact was lost.

Shi'ur contacted Shepard, the human had hopefully be finished with dealing with Saren, as he was considering detonating the Plasma charges early now.

"Commander Shepard, our position has been lost. You had best hurry and finish Saren and get out before the charges set in place kills you too."

There was only buzzing on the comm before it sparked to life. "How much time do we have before it blows us all to kingdom come?"

'Kingdom Come' What was that? Some human saying?

"Approximately half an hour till the explosives activate." Shi'ur replied, giving an estimate to how long the drones guarding the charges would last. The bombs themselves were remote controlled but giving the Commander a time limit like that was a good incentive.

The Tau Commander heard what sounded like cursing before Shepard replied. "Understood"

Satisfied he turned his attention back to the facilities entrance. He hoped that the Ferals shared the Orks obsession with fighting the strongest foes. If so then his remaining forces, being the stronger and more intimidating than his drones, would attract the majority of them.

He had no more to time to think as they poured out of the door and even the windows, that should have reinforced, as they formed into a mob that charged the waiting Tau.

Kauyon, the patient hunter. One of the two basic combat doctrines that the Fire Castes employs. Right now there couldn't be a better example. His Fire Warriors were stationed onto the elevated rock platforms that littered the Virmire's coast. Their burning plasma rained down onto the Ferals.

Unfortunately hitting them in the torso had little effect, the Ferals continuing to move even with holes in their body, so the Tau shifted targets. Headshots proved as lethal to the Ferals as it would most things, failing that destroying their legs would trip them and the unfortunate Feral would be trampled by the mob.

Then they were upon them. Their metallic arms smashing into the Battlesuit. The Battlesuits struggled in the melee to shrug of the Ferals. Their eerie cries echoed as they began to climb up to where he and his Fire Warriors were stationed.

His Cadre shifted fire onto the ones slowly making their way up the rock face. It proved ineffective as the Ferals used their metallic arms to punch holes for them to climb up. While headshots were now easier, those that died got stuck, their arms which we driven into the rock face kept them suspended in the air.

It would have been quite comical if not for the seriousness of the battle.

This was both a boon and a curse. The Feral's corpses provided a pseudo cover for the rest of the horde climbing up. However it also provided a brief reprieve as the Ferals were having trouble getting over their suspended fellows who blocked their way up.

Shi'ur stood on the edge of the plateau. He fired his guns endlessly into the mob below him.

"Hero this is Shepard. Saren managed to slip through us. We've already evacuated the facility. You are now free to destroy it. I repeat you are free to destroy it."

The human had let him get away! So this was a pointless venture, his men's deaths gaining nothing. He cursed himself. "Understood, bombs will not be activated soon."

"It was nice working with you Shepard" he added as an afterthought. He received no reply.

Again Shi'ur found himself giving the order to retreat. Orcas were called in to bring his troops back to the ship. The two remaining battlesuits quickly jet packed out of the killing zone and onto higher ground. Now with the battlesuits gone the majority of the horde turned their attention to the Tau above them.

By then the Orcas had landed on the rocky plateau and the Cadre was quickly boarding them, glad to get away for the Feral Horde. Shas'Vre Shi'ur was the last to board, remotely activating the plasma bombs inside his suit.

As he turned and boarded the Orca, the first of the Ferals had finally made it to the top. It was too late though as the Orca took off towards the sky. The cloak that was installed in it, automatically turning back on as they entered the atmosphere.

Behind them the sprawling facility was consumed in a large blue ball of light. When it subsided all that was left was a huge crater.

The report from the Rra Kauyon had been forwarded back to Vior'los where High Command received it. Deciding that it was now pointless to keep their presence hidden they decided to send the Water Caste to initiate First Contact with the Citadel Council.

Shas'O Shovah had given them a list of what could be negotiated and what was non-negotiable. The most important one being to refuse membership to the Citadel Council.

Subjugating themselves to a foreign power goes against the creed of the Farsight Enclaves where they were to pursue their own destiny.

Finding the Council and getting their attention wasn't hard. A massive fleet composed of only what they considered dreadnought class ships and above was going to attract a lot of attention.

It was getting them to believe that they weren't going to attack that was more difficult. 'O Shovah had decided on using a show of force to intimidate the Council and hopefully frighten them enough to not try and annex them.

Kor'O Doran and her fleet was relieved of guarding the relay into the Perseus Veil and now charged with guarding the Water Caste Ambassador. Several Fire Caste Cadres were loaded onto her ships. Nearly 15000 Fire Warriors with battlesuit and tank support.

It was probably much more than they needed, but 'O Shovah had wanted them there anyway. If things went wrong with the Council he wanted the Cadre to invade the Citadel and cripple the centre of the galaxy. While the fleets of the Council, or the Turian Hierarchy really, outnumbered their own in numbers. The amount of tonnage that the Enclave could bring to a conflict outweighed the Council's significantly.

If worst came to worst and the Council had against all odds come out on top then the experimental Genophage cure, obtained by the Rra Kauyon would be given to the Krogans. Hopefully the resurgence of the Krogan would buy enough time for the Enclave to muster their forces and counterattack the Council.

While defeating and conquering them was impossible due to their lack of manpower. Forcing them to concede defeat was well within their capabilities. Especially if the Geth could be persuaded to assist them.

While it was true they wanted to show off their power and technological strength. Performing a warp jump straight in front of the Citadel was perhaps not exactly the best way to introduce yourself.

It did prove that they could get past all the vaunted defences and patrols that guarded the relays leading to the Citadel without being detected. That and the size of their fleet were quite threatening.

The Council fleet stationed at Citadel responded slowly. That a fleet consisting of over fifty dreadnoughts with some well over 3km had snuck up on the Council caught them off guard.

Luckily they decided not to fire on the imposing fleet. The Asari Matriarch in charge of the Citadel's defences made the sensible decision of not attacking them no matter how tempting it was.

The Citadel fleet quickly mobilized itself into a defensive formation in front of the Citadel. The Enclave fleet waited anxiously for them to finish moving into position. The Ambassador 'O Eloh, promoted as a result of his negotiations with the Geth, was adamant about letting them secure themselves to make themselves at least appear peaceful seeing that they couldn't make themselves less threatening.

All it took was one of the famed Turian hotheads to fire on them on the assumption that without Eezo they were weak to ruin this. Hopefully the captains of the Turian ships were more level headed than that and could see that even without Eezo the Enclave fleet outmatched the defenders.

Deciding now was the time, 'O Eloh sent the message that would mark First Contact between the Farsight Enclave and the Citadel Council.

Councilor Tevos waited nervously in the Presidium. All other meetings and business had been put aside with the appearance of an alien fleet that represented their Farsight Enclaves. Their ambassador had just landed on the Citadel and was making their way to the Presidium.

To her right the Turian Councillor Sparatus was seething. He had not appreciated the obvious intimidation technique that the Farsight Enclave had used. Always the soldier he was likely thinking of ways to counter their mysterious technology that allowed them to catch the Citadel off guard.

The Salarian Councillor Valern was likewise interested in their technology. Though unlike Sparatus he was likely thinking of means to acquire it and use it to improve the standing of the Salarian Union. Despite how much the Council promoted cooperation and unity, self-interest will always come out on top.

An announcement marked the entry of the ambassador onto the Presidium. The various media hurried to start filming the newcomers.

The 'Tau' as they call themselves closely resembled the Asari and Humans except with Grey Skin. It was strange how many races shared the same characteristics. The ambassador was tall and slender and was garbed in a crimson robe. His guards were slightly taller and looked far stronger, like their diplomat they were armoured in crimson and held in their hands broad tall weapons.

Stepping forward onto her pedestal; Tevos greeted the newcomer. "Welcome to the Citadel ambassador, I am Councillor Tevos, to my left if Councilloer Valern and my right; Councillor Sparatus."

The named Councillors nodded their heads in greetings as the Tau ambassador stood below them. "I am Por'O Eloh and I thank you for your welcomes and hope that our talks here will benefit the all for the Greater Good."

Sparatus interjected before she could speak further. "Yes, yes now could you tell us why you have deemed it necessary to bring your all your dreadnoughts for a diplomatic talk." He gestured outwards to the goliath fleet that waited outside the Citadel assuming that the aliens had to have brought every dreadnought they had to amass such a fleet.

The Tau only smiled as it answered. "I do not understand what you mean Councillor. This is one of our smaller fleets that we decided to bring for security to these talks." Of course that was a lie as the Kor'O Doran's fleet was a fully battle ready fleet but it gave the Council the impression that they were stronger than they actually were.

Sparatus's mandibles flapped in disbelief, his thought of how large their navy must be if this demonstration was just a **small** fleet.

Tevos nervously re-joined the conversation before Sparatus could muster a response. "A…Any how seeing as though you knew where to find us and have translators for our languages, you must have something to discuss with the Council."

The smile from the 'O Eloh disappeared as he addressed the Council. "There were some… circumstances which led to this. I am here to discuss means of cooperation and trade with the Council on behalf of the Farsight Enclaves. After all doesn't the Council promote peace and cooperation between all?"

"You seem to know quite a lot about the Council yet we know nothing about these Farsight Enclaves. Could you tell us more about your people before we begin negotiations? "

"Certainly, though there is not much to tell. The Farsight Enclave is a group led by Shas'O Vior'la Shovah Kais Mont'yr who split off from an oppressive empire that you need not worry about as they are and will be unable to reach where we have settled or any Citadel territories now." He elaborated upon seeing the concern when he mentioned a much larger empire.

Seeing their concern some somewhat abide he continued "We were formed 400 years ago and have flourished under the leadership of Shas'O Shovah who continues to lead us."

"Thank you for sharing with us. Now back to the issue on hand, The Council wishes to extend a membership within the Citadel. There are many economic and trade opportunities that will benefit all parties. " Tevos said.

"It will provide safety and protection from external threats. The fleets of the Council will guarantee your protection." Added Sparatus.

Valern finished their practiced speech. "Membership will allow you to access the technological achievements that the Citadel has to offer."

The Council waited for the Tau to respond, already anticipating the answer.

"The Farsight Enclave will regretfully decline your kind offer." The Tau calmly replied, already anticipating the storm that is coming. He was not disappointed as the Councillors recoiled in shock.

The Turian Councillor looked ready to shout at the Tau before Tevos waved him down. "I am surprised to hear that Ambassador. No one had declined an offer to join the Council before. May I ask why you turned us down?"

The Tau obliged "Much of our culture clashes with your own. The foremost one is the issue of AI."

The Councillors stiffened at the mention of AI but otherwise kept quiet.

"AI's are used heavily in the Enclaves and-"That was as far a 'O Eloh got before an outraged Sparatus finally broke loose.

"Are you mad, don't you see the danger they pose. The Geth are the best example of dangerous AI, look what happened to the Quarians when those synthetics got tired of them." He raged.

Tevos was slightly embarrassed by Sparatus's outburst. While she did agree with Sparatus, she would have preferred a more quiet way to go about warning the newcomers about AI.

Unfazed by this, 'O Eloh continued on a calm voice. "Our AI work towards the Greater Good like all of the Farsight Enclave and we see no reason to change that. The Geth was another issue. The Enclaves are in a union with the Geth. I hope this won't affect our relations."

There was silence in the Chamber as the Councillors registered what was just said. The reporters watching held their breath as they waited for the Council to respond to this revelation.

"…The Geth. You are in an alliance with synthetics?" Valern finally managed to get out.

"Yes. Despite popular belief they are quite friendly and aside from their Creators and the Orks, they don't really care what the rest of the galaxy is doing too much as long as it doesn't affect them." 'O Eloh said; ignoring the looks he got from everyone watching.

"Your allied with the Geth!" roared Sparatus, this time Tevos was no embarrassed in the least. She was equally outraged and surprised.

"Please calm yourself, as I have said we do not come with hostile intentions but we are willing and capable of dealing with threats if they come to us." The ambassador said.

His guards readied themselves while the C-Sec officers prepared to fight.

"I agree with the ambassador, we must calm ourselves before we can continue." Agreed Tevos, trying to defuse the tension in the air.

When Sparatus finally managed to control himself and Valern had stopped gawking, Tevos managed to ask "How, no why would you ally yourself with the Geth?"

"They were more peaceful than most other aliens races we have encountered. It was through the Geth that we discovered the wider galactic community" Answered 'O Eloh truthfully. Indeed compared to galaxy they used to inhabit, the galaxy here was extremely peaceful.

"And you choose only now to reveal yourselfs. Why?" inquired Valern.

"We had hoped to prepare ourselves better for our first interaction with the wider galaxy. Our ties with the Geth and use of AI would put off many. This type of reaction was far less than what we had expected. You cannot fault us with trying to strengthen ourselves in the event that you choose to attack us for our alliance with the Geth." The lie coming off his lips smoothly.

"As I mentioned earlier we come to establish trade and peaceful relations with the Citadel Council. We have no intentions of joining the Council as a member. Furthermore any attacks upon the Farsight Enclaves or the Geth Collective will be viewed as an attack on both."

"The details of trade and the like can be discussed later. What I am asking for now is whether the Citadel is willing to go forward with this."

"Ambassador, may we have some time. The Council will need to discuss your offer." Valern said.

'O Eloh nodded the smile back on his face. "You can have all the time you need Councillors. I understand this is a decision that is not to be taken lightly. Though I ask for you to not delay as I am needed to report back the Enclaves soon."

"Of course, Ambassador. This will not take too long, only a few hours. We invite you to tour the Presidium during the wait." Offered Tevos.

"Thank you for the offer. I look forward to seeing more of the famed Citadel." With that O'Eloh and his escorts left the Council Chambers.

'O Eloh returned to the Council Chambers. The Council themselves already waiting on their elevated platform. The tour was uneventful. Not much could be seen due to the number of gawkers who came to see the new race.

There were also a number of hostile glares sent their way. Their fleet right outside the Council was quite a sight. Despite them not bothering any ships that decided to leave or enter, their presence was enough to scare people.

Overall they only had a brief stop near the Hanar Embassy and stayed at a restaurant just outside the Presidium, which had several C-Sec officers keeping the onlookers away as 'O Eloh sampled their food.

He stepped back onto the platform he left hours ago and waited for the Council to start talks. He did not have to wait for long when Sparatus bluntly asked him "What are the Farsight Enclaves and the Geth's plans? Will they become a threat to the Citadel?"

"We plan to expand and bring further prosperity for our people like all races. Like before we have no plans to invade the Council for planets nor do the Geth for that matter. As for the Geth's plans… it is not within my rights to say. Though I can assure you that it will not involve anyone else unless they choose to involve themselves."

The Councillors murmured amongst themselves for a moment before Tevos spoke "Are you sure that the Farsight Enclaves will not join the Council. There is much to be benefited in joining."

'O Eloh waved his hand dismissively. "No, we are content to stay independent of the Council."

"You won't last long without the Council's guidance anyway." Muttered Sparatus under his breath, obviously angry at the Tau's refusal.

'O Elog ignored the last comment, long used to abuse being thrown at him during his times as a diplomat and mediator.

"Well then Councillors shall we start the real negotiations."

**I wondered how the AI in the Tau Empire stayed loyal whereas in other science fiction and even the Imperium of Man they turn against their creators. Then I remembered that the Tau are considered 'Blue Communists'. If the Tau are (kinda) communist then their drones and AI are also probably programmed to be communist working towards the Greater Good.**

**Hence with both Organics and Synthetics working together for the Greater Good they are mutually beneficial to each other thus meaning little or no conflict (hopefully). So essentially the reason that the Tau AI haven't rebelled is because both them and their creators are communists working towards the same goal.**

**This was just a random thought and is not to be taken seriously.**

**Orca Dropship: The dedicated orbital transport of the Tau. Also used to transport supplies and the like. It is not a combat vessel but is armed enough to defend itself. Can fit up to 24 Fire Warriors with 8 drones and a command chair for officers, 6 Crisis Battlesuits or 3 Broadside Battlesuits.**

**Ferals: Essentially Orks that have been zombified by the Reapers. They share the same characteristics as the husks except their arms have been modified to be weapons. The are stronger, faster and more brutal than an Ork if that is possible. Unfortunately due to their new organic-synthetic body, they are not as cunning as Orks and lose the Orks ability to 'change' things. That and they can't "WAAAGH".**

**I believe this is already known by most but just in case.**

"**WAAAGH"**

**When a large number of Orks gather they generate a psychic field named the "WAAAGH". The WAAAGH as, mentioned before, warps reality to fit the Orks allowing them to fight with weapons and vehicles that should not work.**

**When a massive horde of Orks gather the whole group is called a WAAAGH. The biggest of the Orks will then become the Warboss on virtue of being the meanest and strongest.**

**It is also used to name a rare event where Orks stop killing each other and actually band together. This usually has millions of Orks going on a warpath stomping anything that gets in their way. After all fighting each other gets boring after a while. Killing other things like Humies and Space Marine Boyz is much more exciting.**


End file.
